XMen: Evil Seduces
by ebatcl
Summary: Gambit is intrigued by Rogue, but she's not impressed with the Cajun Charmer. Emma Frost is tired of everyone being bitchy to her for a past mistake, so she takes the ultimate revenge: have Gambit seduce Rogue. No vampires, all mutants, but AU.
1. Life as it is now

**A/N: Hi to you all. So, this is my first X-Men fanfic, though not my first fanfic. I usually prefer mystery and smut, but this story will be pure drama, and eventually, romance. As you may already know, the main protagonists of the story will be Rogue and Remy, but others characters will also take up a major proportion of the story. I've no idea where I plan to take this, so just stay with me on board and tell me what you would like to see.**

**Anyways, the story does not follow any of them - the cartoons, movies or comics. The story is my own, though the histories and different arcs have been taken from the different universes of X-men.**

**As the name suggests, I was inspired to write this story after I saw the X-Men: Evil Seduces images on the net. However, the mutants here are not vampires (not yet, well never...actually, I'll let the circumstances be known when the time arrives), so just relax.**

**One major thing to bear in mind: Rogue and Remy have not yet met. **

**Another thing to bear in mind (or to clear confusions): the ages of the main and secondary characters (I'll not even try to attempt the rest...sheesh, this comic had far too many characters :)).**

**Charles Xavier: 50**

**Logan/Wolverine: 37 (or at least, he looks that age)**

**Ororo Munroe/Storm: 35**

**Emma Frost: 34**

**Scott Summers/Cyclops: 31**

**Dr Jean Grey-Summers: 29**

**Remy LeBeau/Gambit: 28**

**Warren Worthington III/Angel: 28**

**Betsy Braddock/Psylocke: 25**

**Forge: 25  
**

**Piotr Rasputin/ Colossus: 24**

**Alex Summers/Havok: 23**

**Anna Marie Raven Darkholme/Rogue: 21**

**Wanda/Scarlet Witch: 21**

**Kurt/Nightcrawler: 19**

**Kitty/Shadowcat: 19**

**Lorna/Polaris: 19**

**Evan/Spyke: 18**

**Nate Summers: 4**

**Megan Summers: 3**

**Rachel Summers: 2**

**Okaaaay...so, there are many (to the power infinity) characters in the X-Men universe, and I'll probably mention them a lot, but their ages are not really important, as they are not crucial to this story. As I said before, it's drama and romance, not action/adventure/fantasy/sci-fi...yeah, you get the point ;).**

**Yeah, so the A/N is probably turning out to be bigger than the chapter content. Lol. Anyways, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask. This is not a mystery, so I'll answer every question asked for this chapter in the next one, and so on.**

**P.S. You all will definitely see some personality differences of the characters of this story from the comics/movies/cartoons. All I can say is, I'm making them out to be how I want them. So, please do not say stuff like 'hey, he/she would never say/do/act like that'. Honestly speaking, I think Hugh Jackman, Sir Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart were the only three characters who were perfect in their roles. I like Anna Paquin and Taylor Kitsch too, but they are not my ideal ROMY. So, just imagine all the characters to be whoever you guys want them to be. Just thought I'd let you know :).**

**Now, on with the story.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the different worlds of X-Men.**

"Summer vacation, at last!" exclaimed a jubilant Kitty, and did her 'happy dance'.

"_Freedom_, at last!" said Rogue, and smirked at her petite friend.

"I can't believe you are out of college at 21, Rogue, and with a degree in Physics no less!" said Kitty, with genuine wonderment in her voice, as she looked up at the tall girl.

"Erik helped with my studies," Rogue said, tapping one side of her head with her index finger. Kitty giggled.

"Never thought I would ever see the day when you would thank Magneto for anything."

"He's not so bad," Rogue answered and then smiled, "when he's not destroying his own island, Genosha, with Kelly's Sentinels, that is."

"Yeah," said Wanda as she joined the other two girls, "he can be a good guy at times - a great guy, in fact, a great father."

"Too bad we don't see that side too often," added Lorna, coming up behind her elder sister.

"Yeah," sighed Rogue, "I know all about bad parents and all."

"Okay, guys," intervened Kitty, "this is, like, turning out to be a really somber conversation. We are suppose to be partying, you know. Like, classes are over and will not commence in the next three months. Yay!"

"Well, classes will not restart for me forever," said Rogue, and did her own version of the 'happy dance'...if it can be called that.

"Agh," huffed Lorna, "why do we have to get stuck in college when Rogue is going free?"

"She did a few more years before you joined, remember?" Wanda supplied, smiling down at her sister. Then she turned to Rogue.

"I'll miss you next school year, Rogue. Don't know who I'll get as my roommate."

"Hardly," smirked Rogue. "Kurt will be teleporting you from here to the mansion every chance he gets, just so that he can have his so called 'alone time' with you. After all, he will have his own room, now that Evan will be attending college and all."

"Well, I'm glad that at least I'll have my roommate next year," Lorna huffed again.

"Only next year," said Kitty, "Rogue's brilliant, no doubt, but I'm a genius. I'll be finishing college at 20. Yay!"

"Genius, yes, and very modest about it too," said a new voice, and all four girls turned around to look at the new comer.

"Alex!" exclaimed Lorna with happiness, and rushed to his arms.

"Hey, babe, how have you been doing?"

"Better, now that you are here," sighed Lorna giddily, and buried her face in his chest.

"Awww!" clapped Kitty, "how cute!"

Both Rogue and Wanda made gagging motions at the sight, and at Kitty's exuberance.

"Oh, come on! You guys are just jealous," Kitty muttered, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Excuse me?" asked Wanda, pushing back her long brown hair, and narrowing her equally brown eyes at the younger girl. "What do I've to be jealous about? I've got Kurt, remember? The most romantic guy this side of the planet?"

"And if I'm single, it's by choice, not because there's been a shortage of suitors. I can touch people now, remember?" added Rogue, ganging up on Kitty with Wanda, her emerald green eyes shining in mock anger.

"Should we let them know that we are leaving secretly?" Alex asked Lorna in a loud voice. Lorna laughed.

"Hey, where are you guys going?" Wanda asked turning around, as she saw her sister walk away with Havok.

"Surfing in Hawaii," Alex answered, not bothering to look back.

"What? You guys are not coming back to the mansion?" Kitty shouted out.

"Lorna doesn't live at the mansion, and I've already let Scott know that I'll not be staying this summer," Alex provided, and then turned around to look contemplatively at Rogue. "Actually, I did visit the mansion a few days ago. New discoveries were made. Turns out, I've another brother."

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Rogue inquired, feeling odd at the way Alex was staring at her. Alex though, acted as if she hadn't just addressed him a moment ago.

"Quite famous too, though I'm not sure whether any of you have heard about him before. Storm knew him from before she joined the Professor, and Logan recently had got out of a tight spot with his help."

"Logan's back?" asked Rogue, feeling very happy all of a sudden.

"However, you will be the one getting to know him pretty well, Rogue, seeing as how he will end up being your superior."

"What?" said Kitty and Rogue simultaneously, while Wanda looked confused. Alex didn't stick around to answer though. He got into his car with Lorna, and sped off to Hawaii, or wherever they needed to go to reach Hawaii.

"What was he talking about?" Kitty and Rogue wondered out loud.

"If you two don't know, then there's no way I know anything either. After all, Lorna and I reside at the Brotherhood mansion, not at your X-mansion."

"Guess we will find out when we reach home. Honestly, a few months out of the mansion, and there's always something new going on. It's like watching a bad soap opera or something," muttered Kitty, not being very fond of mysteries or anything similar.

"What did you expect? We _are_ the X-Men, after all," Rogue provided in a haughty voice, and then chuckled at Kitty's sour expression. The three girls then made their own ways to their rooms to pack, so that they could leave the New York University for the X-Mansion that night.

R~G

(Back at the X-Mansion)

"I hope you all are aware why we have gathered here today," the Professor said as he addressed the occupants sitting in his office. "As you all know, Logan returned a few days ago, and he brought a friend with him." The Professor looked at Gambit and nodded in acknowledgment.

"His appearance has caused quite a frenzy, and not just with our younger female students." Gambit chuckled at that, where else Logan just rolled his eyes. He was leaning on the side of the Professor's desk, arms folded across his chest.

Ororo was standing behind the Professor's wheel chair, as usual, and Jean and Scott were sitting on a sofa on one side, holding hands. Emma Frost looked away from the sight in front of her, and pretended to read the new comer, Remy LeBeau. In a corner stood Warren, his hands draped across the back of his girl friend, Betsy Braddock.

Hank McCoy sat on the floor, seeing as how the Professor's office was not big enough to give him the opportunity to have all the mutants in his line of sight. Maybe they needed to have this conversation in the board-meeting room?

"It appears that both Scott and Ororo knew of him, too." The Professor then turned towards Scott. "I know that you told Alex about how Remy LeBeau is your brother, but as we had agreed long ago that there should be no secrets among the members of the X-Men, it is only fair that everybody gets to know your story, including Mr LeBeau himself."

"Of course, Professor," Scott answered. The Professor then turned towards Ororo.

"We should also know how you met Mr LeBeau. It seemed like quite a reunion when you two first realized who you both were three days ago."

"Yes, Charles." Ororo nodded. The Professor addressed Logan then.

"And finally, maybe you could tell us how you met Mr LeBeau, Logan."

"Whatever you say, Chuck."

"So," said the Professor, "since we all finally have time off from our daily schedules at the same time, let us begin. I'd like to get this conversation over with before Kitty and Rogue return home for the summer. As glad as she will be to see you Logan, I hardly think Rogue would appreciate you putting her under Mr LeBeau's tutelage."

**A/N: There you have it, folks - the first chapter. Let me know what you all think, please :). **

**P.S. I'm really bad with accents, so just imagine Remy/Rogue with the Cajun/Southern accent. When it comes to writing, I'll write them in regular manner.**


	2. A little bit of history

**A/N: Here's the second chapter. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the different worlds of X-Men.**

"You two are looking pretty tense," Wanda said, as she looked at the other girls. Rogue was sitting beside her, and Kitty was in the back seat. The form of transportation for Rogue and Kitty had upgraded since they were teenagers, but they were still impractical, especially when traveling with luggage. Rogue now rode a red Ducati, and Kitty, trying to embrace her daring side with encouragements from Rogue and Wanda, settled for an equally red Honda Activa. Hence, at the moment the said bike and scooty were being trailed by Wanda's Pajero.

Rogue and Kitty both tried to smile, but it didn't reach their eyes.

"Don't get me wrong, I might complain and all, but I like my life with the X-Men. True, all the training and then actual fights don't allow for much of a normal life, but then again, I've long ago accepted that I'm not normal. None of us at the X-mansion are," Rogue said, without any bitterness.

Long gone was the teenage girl who was full of anger and hatred. While the Professor and Jean Grey had helped to separate her psyche from that of Carol Danvers and all the rest she had absorbed, her surroundings themselves had helped Rogue to mature. The fiasco with Scott, Jean and Emma just proved that even average humans have their shares of ups and downs in life. After all, the Jean/Scott/Emma problem had nothing to do with one's power.

"In fact, I'd probably feel pretty useless if I wasn't with the X-Men," Rogue continued. "They gave me a purpose to live for, a cause worth fighting for me."

Wanda smiled. She knew what Rogue was talking about. She herself used to be just like her friend, and like Rogue, she too had found a reason to live for. True, they worked for different people, but that didn't hinder her friendship with members of the X-Men, especially now that things seemed to have settled down some.

"So you can understand if I feel a little protective of my housemates. I don't want them to be in trouble or hurting, but that's exactly what happens when we get a new member. Hence, I'm just feeling a bit worried, is all." Rogue finished with a tight smile. Kitty didn't even do that. Instead, she sat frowning in the back seat.

"You know what I think?" Wanda said, suddenly struck by inspiration. "I think you two need to loosen up a bit. This is our vacation, gals. Plus, I think there are plenty of X-members at the mansion. I'm sure they can handle one guy. You two, on the other hand, need to perk yourselves up before you go back home."

"What do you propose?" Rogue asked suspiciously. She knew Wanda too well to figure out that the smile her friend was gracing only meant one thing - trouble.

"Wait and watch," said Wanda, and grinned at her friend's outrageous expression.

R~G

"Well, since I appear to be the one Remy met first among all of us, I guess it stands to reason that I should go first," Storm stated.

"Of course, Ororo. The field is yours," agreed the Professor. Ororo Munroe sighed.

"Before I begin, I just want you all to know that I'm really ashamed of my past," Storm began. "I..."

"Ro? We already know all about your past, remember?" Jean said, smiling kindly at the slightly distraught woman. "We just want to know how Mr LeBeau features in them."

"Yes, yes of course," said Storm. "It's just...it's just that I don't like to remember those times." She looked down, heaved a ragged sigh, and then looked straight up at everyone. "Well, as you all know, after running away from the clutches of the Shadow King in Africa, I got into a ship and came to America. The first city I had stepped foot in this country was our very own New York."

"Yes, if I remember correctly, I found you soon after wards," the Professor said.

"Yes, you did, Charles," Storm agreed, "but not before I had to use my old thieving ways to satisfy my hunger." Storm looked away at this point, shame engulfing her form. Logan, along with Gambit, could read her body language like a pro.

"Ro, there's hardly a mutant in this place that do not have a dark past," Logan began slowly, trying to keep his usual gruff manner in check. "Red, Half-pint and Ice aside, the kids in this place have suffered more in their short lives than any average human could even think of in their worst nightmares. Fact is, even Jean, Kitty and Bobby had to suffer too, considering how their parents' simply refused to accept that their children were mutants. I'd say you got off pretty easy, since your people thought of you as a Goddess and all," he continued with a smirk. "Yeah, 'course, that was before the _Shadow King_ deliberately blotched your popularity to use you for his own devious plans."

Ororo looked at him and bristled. She knew he was mocking her at the end. It didn't help either that Remy was doing his best not to bark out a laugh. It was bad enough that Rogue had slowly, but surely adopted Logan's dry sense of humor, she didn't need Remy to join their league too. Hell, only one of Logan was bad news, and come to think of that, so was one of Remy. Storm didn't even want to think about what would happen if the two teamed up with Rogue. They would be the ultimate troublesome threesome.

"Do stop smiling like that, Logan," Ororo said in an irritated manner. "You realize what a bad influence you are on the kids? Rogue has already adopted that infuriating smirk of yours, you know."

"Adopted?" Logan asked, and then gave a loud guffaw. "Rogue didn't adopt any characteristics from me, Ro. We are just two of a kind. Hell, I'd say the kid was my clone, only Stryker never got his hands on her. And I thank whoever is up there for it."

Logan either didn't notice or just didn't care, but Gambit had suddenly gotten all stiff at the mention of the mutant-testing psychopath. Scott, Jean and Emma noticed the change in him immediately, however. Jean and Emma through their powerful psychic abilities, though they still had difficulty in reading his mind, and Scott because of the latest additions' sudden change in body posture. Scott had felt the same change in him numerous times while in battles. It was when his sixth sense or intuition, whatever one wanted to call it, told him to fix his visor, as threat was nearby. Scott wondered if Gambit also felt the sudden burning in his eyes when he was in danger. After all, if he was correct, it was that very quality of his that was genetically induced in Gambit.

Logan, on the other hand, continued with his own musings. "You know, I'd even go as far as believing that that kid was my own, only...had Mystique not been her adoptive mother."

"Why, Logan," said Storm, her eyes gleaming dangerously, "if you can admit that, then maybe we can assume Mystique had lied. After all," she drawled, "it wouldn't be the first time that Mystique would have done that. Maybe, just maybe, Mystique and Destiny are not Rogue's adoptive mothers. Maybe...maybe Rouge really is her child." Storm then gave Logan a feral smile. "You did have a history with that yellow-eyed, orange-haired, blue woman."

Warren coughed uneasily while Betsy tried her best to suppress her laughter...and failed. Logan growled, and his adamantium claws shot out from his knuckles.

"DO. NOT. EVER. LINK. ME. WITH. THAT. WOMAN!" shouted Logan, "you hear me!"

"And this is supposed to be a school for _gifted youngsters_!" voiced Emma cynically. "Maybe we should reform the grownups first?"

"You stay out of it," shouted out Logan and Storm simultaneously, both glaring at the blond bombshell.

The Professor sighed.

"Okay, just calm down, everyone," Hank began, looking at everybody with his soulful eyes and a cherubic smile. "Take a deep breath, count to three, and then exhale slowly."

"Hank? Just cut the crap!" growled Logan.

Suddenly the room was filled with an amused chuckle, and then an outright full-belly laughter.

"_Oh mon Dieu_!" cried Gambit, wiping off tears of mirth from his eyes. "I don't remember the last time I had so much fun! And that's saying something, you know," continued Gambit, still chuckling, "considering I lead my life like it's one giant playground."

"Ah..."

"Ah..."

While Scott and Warren stuttered and stammered, Betsy started laughing openly and Emma looked away in disgust. Jean looked at everyone, and then at the Professor, shame clouding her eyes, as if she was the one responsible for everyone's immaturity. It was as if she was pleading with her eyes for the Professor to understand, and forgive everyone.

_"It is alright, Jean," said the Professor telepathically, "Don't feel bad, it's not your fault."_

Gambit, not being able to read Jean as she was looking away at the Professor, and unaware of the telepathic communication, continued on with his tirade.

"When I was able to recover Sarah from Stryker's base with Logan's help last week, I was really worried about _ma petite fille_. I live life on the road, and it is far too dangerous a life for a ten-year-old girl, especially one whose mutant status is obvious from her looks. When Logan told me that Marrow would be welcome to join the X-Men, my only purpose for coming here was to ensure that the X-Men really were as friendly and helpful to mutants as their reputation said they were. Then, of course, the moment I was introduced, One Ey...Mr Summers here gasped, and I knew something was up." Gambit looked at Scott at that point, and raised a single eye-brow. Scott sighed and looked away.

"Mr Summers, of course, was standing one step ahead of the younger Mr Summers, or Havok, as he apparently is called. And although he was more direct, his introductory one line was hardly helpful. _"_So, you are my other brother, huh_?_" doesn't exactly solve a mystery, you know. So I decided to stick around, especially as I had already seen a certain Weather Witch I had met over fifteen years ago. Though that didn't mean I had taken up Logan's offer to join the X-Men myself. I just wanted to know my history with the Summers' brothers, catch up with Stormy, have a few beers and cigars with Logan, and once I was sure Sarah had settled in good, I'd have been on my way. Frankly, it seemed weird to me that a bunch of grownups would give up their social lives, just so that they could teach some ill-mannered mutants. And then, there were the _girls. _A giggling human lava, a flirty fire-ball thrower, a shopaholic that can blind a mutant, a female but younger version of Logan, and finally, the quintuplets. _Dieu_, but even just the thought of those five blonds make me shudder."

At this point, Gambit actually shuddered, just to drive his point home. "Now, though, I've changed my mind. Apparently, it can be fun hanging around here. Scandalous too, it seems. So much history, so many secrets. Definitely better than life on the road. So, if the offer to join the X-Men still stands, I'd like to accept," he finished with a charming smile.

"In that case, Remy LeBeau, welcome to the X-Men," the Professor said smilingly.

**A/N: I know that none of the X-Men fully told how they know Gambit, but don't worry, all will be revealed in the later chapters. Like I said before, it's not a mystery. In the meantime, let me know how it was :).**


	3. Storm and Wolverine's stories

**A/N: Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the different worlds of X-Men.**

"Okay, now that Mr LeBeau here is an official member of the X-Men, can we _please_ get back to hearing everyone's versions of their first meetings with him?" Emma Frost said in an irritated manner. "And without the insults and self-bashing, too. They are a waste of time, in case no one noticed."

Quite a few people were about to retort, namely Betsy, Storm and Logan, but the Professor intercepted before any of them could open their mouths. The Professor agreed with Emma here - arguments were a waste of time. Emma smiled, slightly but victoriously, Betsy scowled, and Jean heaved a sigh.

"Yes, yes," said the Professor, "Storm, if you will?"

"Yes, well, to make a long story short, I was stealing money from people so that I could buy food," Ororo mumbled. "It was during one of those days that I got caught by a burly man, and he was about to beat me up when Remy saved me."

"Mr LeBeau saved you?" the Professor asked, frowning. "How? I mean, you were about nineteen when I first brought you here, so he must have been..."

"I was 12 and even at that tender age, I was a master thief," Gambit finished proudly.

"You are a thief?" Betsy questioned, astonished. Warren looked slightly uneasy...he was a billionaire after all, and had quite a few expensive possessions at the X-Mansion.

"He can't be," exclaimed Scott. "He's got my..."

As everyone looked questioningly at him, including one very interested Remy LeBeau, Scott became silent and looked away.

"Uh, do we need to hide our valuables?" Jean murmured, giving Gambit a slight smile. Gambit smiled back, his empathetic abilities picking up that Jean was not trying to be mean, but rather giving him the benefit of the doubt - unlike Emma Frost.

"Of course, we do," Emma Frost muttered, and got up from her seat. "And I'm going to go now and do just that." With that, she began to walk away.

"Uh, Emma?" questioned Hank. "Why don't we first hear what Mr LeBeau has to say?"

Emma scowled at Hank, looked at everyone else in the room, sighed and then went back to her seat.

"Well?" the Professor asked, addressing Gambit.

"Since I've decided to stick around, I guess I'll need to disclose my past sooner or later," Gambit began in a lazy manner, "well, it's quite a long story - twenty eight years' worth of history, to be exact, and..."

"Could you quit with the dramatics, Gumbo?" growled Logan, though his voice was laced with amusement. Gambit gave a hearty laugh.

"_Monsieur_ Logan, of course, knows all about my past. He wouldn't have invited me to join the X-Men otherwise," Gambit murmured, smiling. "However, I think we should let Stormy finish her version first, _non_? But yes, yes I _was_ a petty thief once."

"Well, I'm very glad to hear the word _was_ in that sentence," Emma Frost muttered as Gambit finished.

"Glad that I've been given the field to continue once more," Ororo started sarcastically. "No more interruptions, if you all don't mind too much." Storm glared at everyone at this point. Gambit was the only one bold enough to chuckle at her. She just rolled her eyes at him and continued.

"With what seemed like lightening fast movements, Remy had the man flat on his back on the road side and unconscious too." Ororo looked straight at Gambit then and smiled, her eyes twinkling. "Of course, I had no idea that his original intention was to take the wallet that was in my hand, the one that I had taken from the man. However, the big guy had friends and they started to come towards us. Remy picked up a stick from the side of the road and stood in front of me in a defensive manner."

Gambit remembered clearly what had happened next, and looked away from Storm.

"These men took one look at Remy's eyes and stood back in fear. Then they began to run away, before crying out loudly_ le diable blanc_."

Everyone present in the Professor's office was more or less acquainted with the French language, and they all flinched, especially Scott.

"That's just so..." Jean began...

"..._mean_," finished Betsy.

Gambit was still looking away from everyone, and staring blankly at a spot on the wall. Despite their words, he was sure that once they looked closely at his eyes again, they too would agree with those thugs from his past. He was waiting for his empathetic abilities to pick up their fear.

"Yes, yes it was," Ororo murmured, agreeing with Jean and Betsy. "I was the only one in that street that night who didn't believe so. Remy was a bit surprised when I told him. Apparently, it was not the first time he had been called by that abominable name."

Gambit looked back at Storm again, and gave her a tight smile.

"He stuck around with me for a few days, said he was there with his father and brother, both of whom had some work to do. I showed him how I could manipulate the weather where else he provided me with food and everything, and also taught me how to pick locks and how to steal without getting caught. Turned out, he was very good with his thieving ways," Ororo finished dryly. Gambit just grinned at her.

"Then one day, he said he had to leave as the work his family was in New York for was done. He didn't introduce me to his father and brother, but gave me over a thousand dollars and the tools he used for lock picking. I had never seen him after that day, and you found me soon after wards, Professor."

"Hmm, that was quite an interesting story," the Professor said neutrally.

"Oh, yes! Nothing makes up for a greater story than the everyday happenings in the life of a pickpocket," Emma murmured sarcastically. As she always acted like a first class bitch, everyone decided to ignore her. They would only be wasting their time when reprimanding her. It was not like it had done her any good or taught her anything the previous times they had done it. Plus, time was of essence now.

"So, who would like to go next? Scott?" the Professor asked, looking at the current leader of the X-Men.

"I..."

"Fine, I'd go," barked out Wolverine, looking annoyingly at Scott.

"As you all know, I began to get flashes from my past - the dark lab, the wilderness of Canada, Stryker..." Logan let out a growl as he said the name. "It appears I was right. William Stryker _was_ the man who had put the adamantium in my body. I was his first successful test subject, but as it turned out, I was not the last."

"What do you mean, Logan?" the Professor asked, concerned.

"The Alkali Lake flooding you saw in the news recently? I was behind it."

"_What_?" a chorus of voices rang out. Logan scowled at them all.

"I knew it, of course," Emma Frost murmured, nonchalantly. "It just seemed so obvious to me."

"Logan? But, why?" Jean asked, disbelief evident in her voice.

"There was a military compound, Jean. A mutant testing facility, where Stryker was experimenting on barely teenage mutants. The only way to destroy it was by breaking the dam."

"But what about the children? Where are they now?" Storm questioned.

"Sarah was one of them," Gambit muttered, his mind filled with rage as he thought about the now deceased Colonel.

"Sarah? You were there with Wolverine, then?" Warren asked, voicing his opinion for the first time.

"I was the one who saved his ass back there," Gambit said, and then winked at Logan. "Sarah was recently kidnapped, and I followed her trails and found myself in Stryker's base. I just wanted to get Sarah and the others out of there safely, but Wolverine wanted to stick around and have a face-to-face with his creator." Logan growled at that and pointed his claws at Gambit. He just laughed.

"I hijacked an aircraft from the military base, and brought all the children to safety. They all either had families or groups and gangs they belonged to, so they all went their separate ways when we touched ground. I wanted to go my own way with Marrow too, but I guess I have developed a conscience these days." Both Storm and Logan snorted at that.

"So, after bringing Marrow back to where I was staying at that time, I went back to look for Wolverine. Right on time, too. Sure he killed that bastard Stryker, and flooded his base, but the good Colonel wasn't the only one who was sinking. I got Wolverine out of harm's way, threw him in my stolen jet and brought him back to my place. The guy was out for four days. I'd hate to think what would have happened if he didn't have his healing power."

R~G

"_This_? This is what you had in mind?" Rogue asked her friend, her voice laced with barely suppressed anger.

"Ooh, I love it!" Kitty giggled excitedly, and quickly made her way inside.

"Relax, Rogue, will you? Trust me, alcohol is exactly what you need to loosen up a bit," Wanda said smiling, as she dragged her friend inside the bar. "I mean, look. Kitty seems happy already."

Rogue groaned.

"I can't believe I'm playing the responsible role between me and Kitty."

"Oh, come now. The night is still young. What's wrong with a few drinks?" Wanda asked, raising her eye brows.

"Nothing, if we were going back to our dorms," Rogue said, resigned, as she saw Kitty happily gulping down a few while still ordering more and paying for their drinks. "But we are going back to the mansion, Wanda. And Alex had said that Logan is back. Do you know how many sessions in the Danger Room we will have to do if we show up drunk?"

"Oh, hush, you will not get drunk tonight," said Wanda as the two girls finally joined Kitty.

"Yeah, well, one of us will need to stay sober," Rogue muttered, as her eyes landed on Kitty, who was bobbing her head up and down to the music in the place.

_It was going to be one long night,_ she sighed to herself.

**A/N: So, that was roughly how Logan and Ororo met Gambit. Next up, we will see what Scott is keeping secret and Remy's past with the Thieves' Guild, Bella Donna, and Marrow and Sinister. Remember, these are just stories I'm taking from the comics/cartoons/movies with slight changes of my own. The past is not really important to this story. **

**Anyways, let me know how it was. I'm not sure whether you all are liking it or not. I'm just blindly writing what I feel.**

**For the next chapter, should I have the girls show up drunk? What do you think Remy's reaction would be when he first sees Rogue?**


	4. Scott's revelation

**A/N: Hi :). I want to start off by thanking those of you who took the time out to let me know their thoughts.**

**Alicja w Krainie Czarow: **Thank you :). I hope you will like what follows.

**Sweetcornbee: **I'm glad you are liking the story so far. I hope you will like my interpretation of how Scott knows Gambit.

**HighOnLife: **I hope you find it good :).

**ChamberlinofMusic: **Thanks for the suggestion. I've used part of it ;), but you will have to wait till next chapter to read about it.**  
**

**Now that that's done, let's get on with the story.**

**Enjoy!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the different worlds of X-Men.**

"Hmm, I see why you thought Mr LeBeau would make a great addition to the X-Men, Logan," said the Professor. "If he could get you out of a spot even _you_ couldn't find the solution to, then he must be really good."

"Oh, I am," Gambit murmurer lazily, grinning at everyone. Logan and Ororo rolled their eyes, something the two had been doing a lot lately...especially, since Gambit arrived.

"And oh so humble," muttered Emma, sarcastically.

"I like him," Betsy said happily. Gambit winked at her, and then secretly smiled to himself. Girls _always_ liked him.

"You do realize your boyfriend is standing beside you, right?" Emma said, looking at Warren and Betsy, and then giving Gambit a pointed look. Gambit looked back at her, the lazy smile still in place. From the way they were standing, it was obvious what exactly the nature of Warren Worthington III and Betsy Braddock's relationship was. That didn't deter him, though. After all, it wouldn't be the first time a woman who was already committed to another man had come on to him. Not that that he had anything against the sophisticated billionaire, but if Betsy Braddock wanted to be with him, he would happily oblige her. It was not a good manner to turn down a lady.

"Oh, I've no intention of taking advantage of Mr LeBeau," laughed Betsy. "As charming as he seems to be, the reason I like him is because he seems to get under your nerves."

Emma bristled at the comment, and Gambit gave Betsy a genuine smile. It was not everyday that he got turned down by a beautiful girl. Even married women left their husbands just for a night with him, and Betsy Braddock was not even engaged. It also looked like she was not at all impressed with her beau's wealth either. He had heard the fight the two had gotten into yesterday. Apparently, the psychic didn't like expensive gifts unless it was her birthday or Christmas or some special occasion. Gambit admired girls like her - strong and independent. Too bad they were so rare.

It had only been a few days since he had arrived at the mansion, which meant that he hadn't gotten the chance to meet everyone properly. He was far too busy making sure Sarah settled in well and good. However, from what he had seen so far, the teachers at the institute were brilliant, especially the women. Ororo Munroe, Emma Frost, Jean Grey, and Betsy Braddock - all gorgeous women and all very talented. Though three of them seemed to have the same power - telepathy. Jean and Betsy, however, had telekinetic abilities, too.

"Scott," said the Professor, "maybe you would like to tell what you know about Mr LeBeau? It seems like quite an interesting story from what I've gathered."

If he didn't have his glasses, the other occupants of the room would have seen Scott's eyes widen. They did hear his sharp intake of breath, though.

"No Scott, I didn't read your mind. You know I wouldn't do that without your permission," the Professor replied to Cyclops's unvoiced question.

"Of...of course, Professor. Please, forgive me. I didn't think this through."

"It's alright, Scott."

"So? What's the story, bub?" Wolverine asked, getting a bit impatient.

Scott Summers was the official leader of the X-Men, and in most occasions, Wolverine didn't agree with the youngster's methods. Cyclops was a lot like Charles Xavier, and believed in using his head first. Only after he got the general idea of the crisis they were in, would Cyclops bark out orders to the rest of the team members as how to best tackle the situation. Wolverine, on the other hand, believed in a more hands-on approach. _Attack first, think later_ was usually the mantra he lived by. Needless to say, Scott and Logan didn't get along too well.

"You remember, Professor, when I went off in search of my younger brother the second year I was in this place?" Scott began, looking at the Professor only, and avoiding everyone's eyes.

"Yes, Scott. If I remember correctly, you went back to your home state."

"Yeah, I thought it would be a good place to start," Scott said, nodding his head absently. "As I didn't remember much about my home, since I grew up in an orphanage after the plane crash killed my parents, I decided to start by visiting the local hospital."

The Professor could already tell that Scott had made some startling discovery in there.

"What did you find, Scott?"

"Well, I told a staff the general story, how I was involved in a plane crash, how there were only two parachutes, how my parents sacrificed their lives to save me and my brother and so on. I was hoping they would give me Alex's dental record, so that I could trace him that way, see if he was still alive."

"What happened?" asked Hank, curious now that some medical part was involved.

"Well, it appeared that the hospital indeed have my family records. Apparently, my family was well associated with them, as it turned out that my father was a doctor, or to be more specific, a researcher."

"What?" Betsy said. "We didn't know that."

"Neither did I until then," Scott murmured. "And after that, I just wanted to forget about it. Obviously, whatever I had believed to be true about my family were all lies - that they were adventurers, that they liked to visit new places, and all that."

"Scott, what did you discover?" Warren asked, concerned.

"At first, the hospital staff couldn't give me any information. They said it was highly classified, hence they couldn't access the files."

"That sounds quite grave," Hank said, thoughtfully.

"Later, a doctor came towards me, and slipped a card in my hand before moving away. He didn't say anything, or even look at me. It was as if he didn't want to acknowledge me in public," Scott continued, a frown creasing his brows.

"What did you do?" This time, it was Ororo who voiced the question.

"I checked the card and all that was written was the name of a local diner, which I had seen while making my way to the hospital. So, I went to that place and waited. The man came soon after wards, and gave me a briefcase. He told me he was a colleague and friend of my dad, and any information I required, I'd find inside the briefcase. He apologized, saying that he didn't have the key to it, but he was sure I'd find a way to open the case. With that, he was gone as swiftly as he came. He didn't even give me his name."

"What was inside the briefcase, Scott? What did you find?" Jean asked gently, slowly rubbing a hand on Scott's arm. Scott gave her a pained smile.

"Let's just say I knew why the hospital staff couldn't access my family files. Everything, from me and my brother being mutants, to my mother having an illegitimate child, every information was stored in that briefcase."

"So Mr LeBeau is the result of your mother's adultery?" Emma Frost asked, looking straight at Scott.

Jean practically growled at the platinum blond woman at that. Gambit would have found the incident funny - the usually calm and collected Jean Grey letting loose a Wolverine worthy growl was not something the red head mutant did often, he would bet on it. However, he was far too preoccupied with Scott Summers' story, especially when he discovered a flaw in it.

"No," Gambit said, softly but firmly. However, he was surprised when Cyclops agreed with him.

"No, not exactly," Scott murmured, looking down.

"If he's not the product of an affair, how can he be an illegitimate child?" Once again, it was Emma who asked the question.

Scott looked up at Gambit and stared. It was as if he was asking for his permission to continue.

"Go on," Gambit said, adopting his lazy, damn-care attitude once again. "I'd like to know the real story, too. Till now, you didn't disappoint. Everything seems to be true, so far."

"That's because _I'm_ telling the truth,' Scott muttered, a little angry at Gambit's nonchalance.

"Continue then, _mon ami_,' Gambit replied, giving everyone his annoyingly superior smile.

"Well, it seemed my _father_ liked to think of himself as a scientist. He knew that the mutant gene in me didn't come from him, so he was sure my mother was the one to pass it down. He performed various tests on her, and had started to do some on me, too."

"Oh my God," Jean said, looking shocked.

"That's not all. You see, from what I found in those documents, my father was approached by a man named Nathaniel Essex, who claimed to be a mutant."

"He was," Gambit muttered, his smile now gone and replaced by an angry scowl. He had waited so long to find out who his mother was that he had almost given up. In fact, now that he seemed to find the remaining pieces of the puzzle that was his history, he wasn't sure he wanted to know anymore.

"Yeah, I figured it out too, when the documents said he had ruby red eyes," Scott replied. Immediately, every eyes in the room landed on Gambit, or rather his red on black eyes.

"In case you are wondering, yes, Nathaniel Essex _was_ the man who created me," Gambit said coolly.

"_Created_ you? Don't you mean _sired_ you?" Emma Frost asked, raising a perfectly shaped eye-brow at Gambit.

"No, he doesn't." Scott was the one to answer. "Nathaniel Essex was a powerful mutant. The documents said he found about my mother through telepathy. It also said he was very good with telekinesis, too."

Everyone gasped at that. The information Scott was providing was starting to seem very familiar to everyone.

"However, it wasn't my mother this mutant was interested in. He was more interested in me. In my father's documents, it was written that Nathaniel Essex kept mentioning something about destinies, how one day the power would become unmanageable. I guess my father didn't realize that Nathaniel Essex was talking about me." Scott gave a mirthless laugh. "Anyways, it seemed Essex wanted to mix my power and my mother's genes with his, to create another child."

As everyone looked at Gambit once more, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that Nathaniel Essex had been successful.

"At first, he wanted my mother to carry the baby full-time, but my father seemed to have put his food down at that point. The documents said my father was surprised when Essex agreed. It was later that he discovered why. If my mother had carried the baby, it would have taken approximately nine moths before Nathaniel Essex could see the results. He didn't want to wait that long. So, he did his own version of the test-tube baby. Turns out Essex was talented in another department - molecular level manipulation."

"So, that was how Mr LeBeau was created?" Hank asked, the scientist in him awed by what Nathaniel Essex had achieved. Gambit remained quiet.

"Yes," Scott answered Hank's question. "However, as soon as the experiment was successful, Essex vanished with the baby. From what I could gather from the documents, my father searched everywhere for a genetic researcher by the name of Nathaniel Essex, but couldn't find him."

Although there was an important issue that the Professor was sure was in everyone's mind, there was also something else that he wanted to know.

"So, how did you know it was Mr LeBeau who was your long lost brother, Scott?"

"Well, when I had found my father's documents, there was really nothing to go by. So, instead, I focused on finding Alex. As you know, his trail led me to Hawaii, and when I found him, I told him everything. We had both given up on finding our third bother, until the events with Apocalypse."

"Apocalypse?" the Professor asked, confused. "But that was nearly five years ago."

"Yes, Professor," Scott replied. "After what happened during that time, I became interested in his history. I mean, it took the X-Men, Brotherhood, S.H.I.E.L.D, everyone to join forces to bring down that mutant. True, he had you, Storm, Mystique, and Magneto acting as his four horsemen, but a mutant has to be really powerful to control all four of you and fight us all at the same time."

"Yes, he was," the Professor replied absently, thinking back on how he had been hypnotized into attacking his own students.

"Well, while searching for him in restricted government files that I made Kitty steal for me from S.H.I.E.L.D's head-quarters, I found that he had been betrayed once, by a faithful servant of his. It happened around the time when I would be about three years old. You can imagine how surprised I was, since we thought Apocalypse had laid dormant for over five thousand years."

"What?" asked Hank, confused. "That didn't turn up in the database while I was looking for information on him."

"Pay attention, Hank, it was restricted information," Logan said, gruffly. "Brilliant job, Shades, stealing from the S.H.I.E.L.D." Here Logan gave Scott one of his rare smiles, before frowning slightly. "Though I don't know how I feel about you using Kitty that way, considering she was around fourteen at that time." Scott looked a bit ashamed, but continued all the same.

"Anyways, the interesting thing was that the description and image of this servant matched exactly with the information provided in my father's documents, though the name Nathaniel Essex was not mentioned. What was mentioned however, was that as a form of punishment, En Sabah Nur took his servant's baby and game him away to an unknown family, far away from his base. Unbeknown to Apocalypse, the family was not so common as he believed them to be. In fact, they were feared highly among their acquaintances...as was their adopted son, Remy LeBeau."

"So, you had known about me all along?" Gambit asked, looking straight at the leader of X-Men - his elder brother.

"Yes," replied Scott. "Alex and I even went to find you, but it turned out you had left the clan a long time ago. If my calculations are correct, it has been almost ten years since you last saw the LeBeaus."

"Very good. Would you like a prize for that?" Gambit inquired, feeling anger engulf his form. He was a secretive man, he didn't like anyone knowing his history...unless, he told them. He would have said more, he didn't care that technically he was insulting his brother even though the guy did nothing wrong, but he stopped when the Professor started to muse aloud.

"Telepathy, telekinesis, molecular manipulation," the Professor said, thinking about the issue that was bothering him the most. "Servant to En Sabah Nur, though I didn't know about that but it hardly seems surprising. What I'd like to know is, where is he _now_?"

"Dead," replied Gambit, by now sure that everyone knew who Nathaniel Essex really was. "Mister Sinister is dead."

**A/N: Wow, quite a long chapter from me. A lot of information, too. Do not hesitate to ask me if you are confused about anything. **

**Also, I would like to mention here that the fight against Apocalypse is the one from the X-Men: Evolution cartoon. I left Magneto's Acolytes out as they were never really the original members from the Comics' Acolytes.**

**Now, I'm sorry for having no Rogue in this chapter. I was just trying to ensure that you all got Scott's story. Plus, I didn't want to overwhelm anyone. **

**So, how was it? Did you guys like my version of how Gambit and Cyclops are brothers? There are many different versions in the comics as to who the third Summers brothers was, but I personally always liked the Gambit version :).**

**Let me know what you all think, please :). Plus, suggestions are also very welcome.**


	5. Gambit's secrets

**A/N: Hi :). Hmm, I need to first thank the person who makes me feel the story is worth writing. LOL.**

**Sweetcornbee: **Thank you so much. I really really appreciate it that you take the time out to leave your thoughts :). I usually write Twilight fan fics. I just recently got interested in others, like Harry Potter and X-Men, though I read the books and comics a lot. Anyways, I hope you like Gambit's story here. It's not much, they are all taken from various X-Men sources, with a bit of my imagination. Hope you enjoy it. Rogue and Gambit's first meeting will be in next chapter. Once again, thanks.

**Enjoy!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the different worlds of X-Men.**

"Dead?" asked Cyclops, his voice filled with incredulity. "Mister Sinister is really dead?"

"I thought he was lying low for a while," said the Professor in a contemplative voice.

"After what his Marauders did in that tunnel," said Angel, his eyes gleaming dangerously, "he better be hiding."

"Relax, Warren," Wolverine offered. "Gumbo here is telling the truth. Nathaniel Essex had been vanquished - by his own."

"But when? And how? We never heard anything about him after the Morlocks Massacre nearly seven years ago," Jean looked confusedly between Wolverine and Gambit as she voiced her confusion. Wolverine, though, was still looking at Angel.

"You will be glad to know you were not the only mutant Mister Sinister 'helped'," Wolverine said to Warren.

"What? He used his powers on other mutants too?" Warren asked, enraged.

"From what Gumbo has told me, it would appear to be so. And right after you, too."

"Who? Who else did he destroy?" By now Angel was so angry that Betsy had to put a hand on his face and calm him down with her psychic power. Emma Frost snorted in disgust at the sight. The blond telepath really didn't like it that not only were her powers not unique, but that the other two ladies sharing her talents were also very much in love, and were loved in return - unlike herself.

Storm, being a clever and intuitive woman, realized who Logan was talking about. She turned to Gambit, whose usually happy face was now sporting a dangerous scowl, and smiled.

"Remy? Why don't you tell us about yourself? And start from the beginning, please. Secrets between the X-Men members have caused a lot of trouble in the past. I'd like that mistake not to be repeated."

Gambit sighed, and clasping his hands over his parted knees, he looked down at the floor. He didn't want to see anyone's face as he recalled his history. He wasn't ready to be judged yet.

"From the time I could remember, I was always a part of the LeBeau family," Gambit started in a somber voice. "Though they never made me feel like an outsider, but I always knew that I was adopted. It was hard to keep that a secret with eyes like mine, and rivals like Julien."

"Who is this Julien?" Emma asked. She was not a big fan of mysteries. Her telepathy came in handy in such situations, but she couldn't properly read Gambit.

"Julien was the only son and heir apparent of a notorious family in New Orleans, known as The Assassins' Guild. They were forever competing with my family, The Thieves' Guild."

"You come from a _family_ of thieves?" asked a somewhat shocked Psylocke, her purple hair looking a little more bright compared to her sudden pale skin. Gambit smirked.

"_Oui._ How do you think I acquired my skills?"

"Some skill," snorted Emma Frost.

"That's it? You have _skills_?" Warren asked, confused. Then he looked at everyone else. "I thought we recruited members based on their mutant _powers_."

"Oh, I've powers, too," Gambit grinned. He took out what looked like a playing card from inside his jacket, did something to it with the three fingers that weren't gloved, and then threw the card upwards. The card gave off a purple smoke, fizzled, and the moment it reached its peak near the ceiling of the room, it spontaneously combusted.

The females in the room shrieked, where else the males watched in fascination.

"That's about one thousandth time of what I could really do," said Gambit, his lazy smile gracing his features once again. "I can manipulate potential and kinetic energy, and use them to blow up things."

"O-kay," murmured Hank, "that seemed quite impressive."

"Trust me, it is. I've seen him in action," Logan said in a neutral voice.

"Is that why you always wear a purple shirt?" Betsy inquired. She had thought it odd that a man would wear such a feminine color. Of course, her curiosity had nothing to do with her hair. Oh, who was she kidding. Purple was her color, dammit.

"_Oui_. Camouflage and all that, you know," Gambit answered, and then laughed. "You should have seen when my powers first manifested. The moment I charged something, it would give off a pink glow. As my powers increased, they changed into magenta, and finally settled on plump or purple, whatever you want to call it."

"Thank God for little mercies," Emma remarked snidely. "As if his personality is not disturbing enough, we'd also have needed to deal with him wearing pink or magenta clothing."

"Can we all, please, let him finish his story? I want to know what happened," Storm muttered, glaring at the blond and the purple-haired telepaths. Then she turned towards Gambit. "Remy, stop digressing."

"Well, I was already in the family trade by the time my mutation manifested. Incidentally, it happened after I met Stormy here, so that's why she didn't know about my powers before. Where my abilities were considered an asset in my Guild, my family rivals quite didn't believe so. Julien challenged me plenty of times, especially after he realized that his sister was in love with me."

"You seduced your opposing Guild leader's daughter?" Emma asked, arching an eye-brow. "Now, why doesn't that surprise me?"

"I didn't _seduce_ her. We...we were in love," Gambit replied, with a faraway expression on his face. "We were little when we met. We didn't know we were from rival Guilds. She was the first person outside of my family who wasn't scared of my eyes." Gambit gave a genuine smile at this point, not his usually cocky grin, but it didn't look like as if he was smiling at anyone in particular. He looked as if he was not in the Professor's office anymore, but in another place, in another time. "When our families found out, our fathers were happy. They saw our union as the perfect opportunity to end the feud. The rest of the Guilds' members reluctantly agreed...except Julien."

Gambit sighed, and looked down once more, the chocolate colored silky bangs covering his ruby red eyes.

"What happened?" Jean asked softly. She had always been such a romantic at heart, and believed everyone deserved a shot at love. She was the reason Emma Frost was still alive and living at the X-mansion, of all places. If it had not been for her, the rest of Jean's team members would have killed the blond long ago...especially Rogue.

"Our fathers were eager for the joining of the Guilds. Hence, it was decided that as soon as we both turned eighteen, Bella Donna and I'd get married."

"Bella Donna? Such a beautiful name," murmured Jean. Betsy, too, sighed with happiness.

Gambit looked up at Jean and smiled.

"Yes, just like her. Golden hair, blue eyes, pink cheeks...she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen."

Emma huffed slightly, as if to say that once someone had met her, _she_ was the who should be considered the most beautiful. Needless to say, no one in the room paid her any attention.

"It was decided that once the two Guilds were joined, Bella and I would take over as the leaders," Gambit continued. "It was with this part of the agreement that Julien simply refused to cooperate. He wanted to lead his Guild. He went as far as to prevent the marriage."

Jean and Betsy gasped.

"Did...did he succeed?" Jean asked. Betsy, too, held her breath as she waited for the reply.

"No. He was a few minutes too late."

Jean and Betsy looked at each other, and grinned. Gambit, however, didn't seem elated.

"Enraged that he was unable to stop the wedding, he issued a duel, a fight to death."

"_What_?" This time, it wasn't only Jean and Betsy who gasped, shocked at what they were hearing.

"I guess that means he's not alive anymore," Hank murmured, sympathetically.

"No, he's not. And as punishment, my marriage was annulled, and I was asked to leave the Thieves' Guild and was exiled from New Orleans."

"But why? If you hadn't done what you did, then you yourself would have gotten killed," Storm said, worry, anger and confusion marring her exotic features.

"Hence, the exile," Gambit said, ruefully. "If I had attacked unprovoked, they would have killed me then and there."

"That's committing murder," Betsy said, enraged. Warren rubbed his hands slowly on his girlfriend's back.

"They _are_ called the Assassins' Guild, remember?" said Warren, trying to calm down Psylocke.

"What happened later? How do you know what happened to Mister Sinister?" Scott asked.

"After I left New Orleans, I wandered on my own for sometime," Gambit replied. "As I reached my twenties, my power began to get out of control. I didn't need to touch anymore. Just by a mere look, I could blow things up."

"Oh, no," murmured Jean.

"It was then that a man with ruby eyes found me in a dark alley near an abandoned warehouse and offered to help me."

"Mister Sinister," Angel muttered with disgust.

"In return, I had to promise to work for him."

"What? Don't tell me you agreed?" Scott inquired, worried what his estranged brother's answer might be.

"I hadn't lived with the Guild and not learned anything. Still, I was desperate to control my powers. So, I agreed with a condition of my own. One year, I said I'll do his bidding for one year if he fixed my problem. He agreed."

"What did he make you do?" asked the Professor, already knowing the answer would be the most shocking revelation of the night.

"He asked me to gather a group of the most strongest and most powerful mutants I could find," said Gambit. "I did."

"But weren't the Marauders the strongest of Mister Sinister's minions?" Betsy asked, confused.

"In the meantime," Gambit continued, as if he had not heard Psylocke. "Mister Sinister had told me the truth about my parentage. Said he was real glad to find me. The twenty years it had taken for him to discover me, he said he had almost given up hope." Everyone remained silent as Gambit approached the end of his story. "I guess he thought I'd be happy to be reunited with him, happy that he took advantage of a woman and her baby to create me, happy that I was not born from a mother's womb." By now, Gambit was gritting his teeth so as not to let out the snarl that was trying to burst forth from his lungs. "Problem was, I grew up with the Thieves' Guild. Hence, I _had_ known a family, I _had_ know a mother's love. I didn't tell _Nathaniel Essex_ all that, but I did remind him that the year was nearly over, and I'd go on my own way once I finished my job."

"Remy? Remy, are you okay?" Storm asked, concerned, when she saw how hard his jaw was working and how white his knuckles had gone. Gambit's eyes seemed to give an iridescent glow, yet managing to look a neon red at the same time.

"As my time ended with him, I gave Mister Sinister his all powerful mutant terrorists - the Marauders."

"_No!_" Betsy gasped.

"No, no you did not. I don't believe it!" Jean said, disturbed.

"_Remy_? Remy, tell me you are lying," Ororo pleaded with the man she considered almost her younger brother.

"When I led them down that sewer that day," Gambit went on, ignoring all their cries. "I thought it was to acquire new servants for my _father_. Of course, that was no excuse. So, when I saw what the Marauders were doing, I tried to stop them. In the end, I was only able to save Sarah."

"_Marrow_? She was one of the Morlocks children?" Hank asked, speculatively.

"I had never been so angry in my life. For a moment I wished I had my old powers back. One look at Mister Sinister, and he would be lying dead at my feet." At this point, Gambit gave a slow, feral smile. "Eventually, that's exactly what had happened. After I killed the Marauders one by one with the help of the Assassins' Guild, I went after Nathaniel Essex myself. He should have seen it coming, but I guess he never expected his own _son_ to murder him. In the end, really, there was nothing left but scorched flesh. I charged him up, and threw him down an empty man hole. When I went down after the explosion, Mister Sinister was mere ashes at my feet."

**A/N: Sorry once again for having no Rogue. Just wanted to have Gambit's story out first. Promise, she will be there next chapter. **

**So, let me know how it was, please :)**


	6. Gambit meets the Rogue

**A/N: Hi all :). **

**Sweetcornbee: ** Yes, for the moment, Mister Sinister is dead, Apocalypse is lost in time, Magneto decided to take a break...in other words, the only action around will be provided by the drama that are the X-Men members' lives ;).

**ChamberlinofMusic: **Sorry for not having Rogue in the previous chapters :(...anyways, in the chapter, Gambit and Rogue will meet for the first time. Hope you like it :).**  
**

**Enjoy!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the different worlds of X-Men.**

What he had expected, he wasn't sure, but the reaction he got was definitely not it. Disbelief, fear, anger, hatred, even being judged - he was ready for it all. But calm acceptance? Now that baffled Gambit. Though not much, but from what he had seen of the X-Men so far, they were highly disciplined. He almost expected Scott Summers, _his big brother_, to get up and start lecturing about how he should have made sure what Sinister wanted with the Morlocks before taking his Marauders into the sewers that fateful day.

But no, _Cyclops _did no such thing. Angel, the billionaire head of Worthington Industries, had looked a bit rattled as he had recounted Sinister's story, but when Gambit had revealed the vampire-looking mutant was no more, Warren had given an odd smile. It was something Gambit himself portrayed, and would look right at home on Wolverine's face, but was definitely not suitable for someone called Angel - the smile was hard and cold.

Gambit didn't want to think about what had transpired between the two. Instead, he was more curious about his new fellow members of the X-Men. He thought he had dropped a bomb by telling them about Nathaniel Essex, but the X-Men seemed more concerned about something else entirely.

"Okay, I'm glad this conversation is done and over with," Hank McCoy aka Beast addressed pleasantly. "I need to get back to my lab."

"Me too," piped up the beauty queen, though legend had it that she liked to be referred to as the _White Queen_. "Can't believe I spent three precious hours listening to a thief's tale. I've classes in the morning, meaning I need to get to bed now. Can't teach with an addled brain, you know."

"More like you are afraid of getting dark circles," muttered Betsy Braddock.

"Well, Psylocke," the blond smiled cruelly, "not all of us like sporting a pink tattoo over one eye, you know."

Storm was about to reply a sharp retort, Gambit noticed, but was interrupted by the ethereal beauty, Jean Grey. He didn't want to admit it, but Gambit was disappointed. There was nothing more entertaining than a bitch fight, and when the women involved were this pretty, the game got even better.

"Sooooo...ah, it's pretty late, nearly midnight. Kitty and Rogue should have been here by now..." Jean's voice trailed off.

"Do you think something happened?" Betsy asked, clearly worried. Warren laughed.

"Are you serious,_ love_?" Betsy scowled at Angel at that, and Gambit felt as if he had missed some inside joke. "Nothing will go wrong. Rogue's with them, remember?"

"So, Logan, about Rogue..." the Professor started.

"What about _Rogue_, Chuck?" Wolverine growled.

"Do you think you made the right decision, Logan?" asked the Professor. "I thought you wanted Mr LeBeau to take over Danger Room sessions for the older kids, while you will retaine supervision of the teachers?"

"So?" Wolverine looked like the Professor was speaking in riddles to him, and the man didn't seem to like the feeling much. At least, that's what Gambit could tell from where he was sitting.

"With college over, I plan on assigning Rogue as Danger Room instructor for the younger children. You are fully aware of that plan, Logan. I consulted with you about it before."

"Your point, Chuck?" Wolverine asked, dryly.

"Rogue will be an instructor, Logan, a _teacher_," finished the Professor, emphasizing the last word.

"Rogue will be under Gambit's supervision, along with Kitty, Kurt, Evan and the rest," Wolverine answered stoically, then he sniffed. "They are here. Let's go down, and welcome the children back home."

With that, Logan walked out of the Professor's office.

"Oh dear," Hank murmured, while the Professor sighed.

Storm looked like she had a splitting headache, her face scrunched up and her eyes tightly shut, as she muttered lightly, "This will not go well."

"I agree," Warren and Scott said simultaneously.

"Uh, let's not be pessimistic, O. Maybe everything will turn out great," Jean Grey offered, a little too optimistically.

"Oh come on, Jean, I'm sure even _you_ don't believe it," Betsy said. "This is _Rogue_ we are talking about."

"Goddess, but what was Logan _thinking_," said Storm, angrily, opening her eyes and glaring at the place Wolverine had occupied a few moments before.

"Do not worry, dear. I'm sure Rogue will be just fine," Hank offered, smiling kindly at the Weather Witch.

"It's not Rogue I'm worried about," Storm murmured, looking at her Cajun friend. It was then that Gambit sat up, and took notice. By now, everyone was getting up and leaving the Professor's office, presumably to welcome this Kitty and _Rogue_.

Since the time he stepped foot in the X-mansion, and Logan had revealed that he wanted Gambit to act as Danger Room instructor to the older kids, it seemed as if the X-Men were all holding their breath. They all seemed to be anticipating the reaction they would receive from _the Rogue_, even though it looked like they already knew what would happen. It was like waiting for a time bomb to go off - one knew he would be blown away to pieces, yet he waited to see how that would be like.

Honestly, Gambit thought, he was getting a little tired of this. Ha hadn't paid much attention before, but after Storm's outburst just now, he got a little curious. Who was this Rogue, anyway? Why was everyone so scared of this mutant? From what he had seen so far, the X-Men boasted of some of the most powerful mutants ever - he had heard of Charles Xavier, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Angel even before he had met them, and not to forget they had Storm and Wolverine on their team...and yet this bunch was afraid of one single mutant?

It was always like _how would Rogue react? _or_ what would Rogue say?_

Seriously, what was so great about this Rogue? And what kind of a name was Rogue, anyway? He had never heard of such a mutant before, so this person can't be _that_ dangerous? Plus, didn't Rogue get to supervise the _younger _kids in the Danger Room, while he was in charge of the _older_ kids, including the _Rogue_?

Instantly, the thought made Gambit feel all better. Storm, Wolverine and the rest might have stooped to the level of pansies, but not him. Really, he was seriously pissed off when Storm implied that Gambit was the one she was _concerned_ about. What could this Rogue character do to him, anyway? Moreover, someone who hanged around mutants called _Kitty _didn't seem like much of a threat. Maybe the_ Kitty_ character was this _Rogue_ person's girlfriend or something. Honestly, the X-Men needed to work on their mutant names if they were going to act tough and scare off the big, bad boys.

As Gambit made his way downstairs behind the rest of the X-members, he noticed a new mutant join the welcome party. He was a Native American with a french beard and shoulder-length hair, and looked a little too scared of the people around him. Gambit was wondering what this guy's mutant abilities were when he saw the guy's right hand turn into a multi-tooled robotic device as he fixed his mobile phone.

Interesting, thought Gambit. So much better than those girls who had been following him around ever since he came to the mansion. Gambit liked women, not _underage girls_, and Tabitha, Jubilee, and especially Amara were definitely underage. Yes, he knew their names. The girls had made sure of that. The Cuckoos however, never introduced themselves, and Gambit was glad for that. The quintuplets gave him the hibijibis. In the younger female Wolverine's case, however, Gambit had made a point to find out her name...and stay as far away as possible from her. He was so glad Laura was only thirteen, meaning she wouldn't be in his class. Forget the claws, the girl had a death glare, and Gambit didn't want to die from just a look.

There were four other young girls he knew about - Wolfsbane, Magik, Danielle Moonstar, and Tildie Soames. He didn't know any of their powers, and like Amara, the Cuckoos and Laura, they will not be in his class either. They all seemed very nice though, and Sarah already seemed to have made friends with most of them. Gambit saw a few young boys, too, and decided he would talk to Sarah about staying away from them.

The mutants who _were_ going to be in his class were mostly in their late teens or early twenties - Iceman, Cannonball, Colossus, Berzerker...hmm, maybe the X-Men _did_ have some tough sounding code names, no matter how immature the mutants were. However, he wasn't particularly fond of the names Boom Boom and Jubilee. Maybe because he already _knew_ who those two were. All in all, it had been nice meeting his students, though they hadn't known he was going to be their instructor. Also, he had not yet met _all_ of his students, especially the older ones, namely Forge, Spyke, Nightcrawler...and _Kitty and Rogue_.

Gambit was wondering when the love birds would show up as he was sure he had been standing outside with everyone for over five minutes. Seriously, how far enough was Wolverine's sniffing range? Just as he was about to make some smart comment to Logan about it to alleviate his boredom, a popping sound made him turn sideways, and he saw two boys appearing out of thin air with a cloud of black smoke and a faint smell of brimstone.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," coughed Emma Frost, who was standing right behind the two newcomers. One was a black, athletic looking boy with golden-spiked-hair, and the other...well, boy was all...err, blue, with yellow eyes, fangs, and a...pointed tail. He also had three fingers in each hand and two on each feet.

"Kurt! Evan!" said Cyclops, authoritatively. "What are you boys doing here so late?"

Both boys started talking at the same time.

"I'm here to receive my sister, and my girl-friend..."

"Hey, Logan? Is it true you threw Rogue out of your team..."

"Nightcrawler! Spyke!" growled Logan. "I hear a car approaching, so you boys might want to shut up."

So, those were Nightcrawler and Spyke, thought Gambit. One could definitely teleport, but he wondered what the other one did.

"Car? They are coming in a car? What happened to Rogue's Ducati and Kitty's Honda Activa?" Betsy asked, confused.

Seriously? A Ducati and a _Scooty_? Gambit chuckled internally. An X-Men rode a _Scooty_? And who the hell ever considered Ducati a _bike_? You wanted to be biker, you rode a Harley. Gambit couldn't believe that everyone was afraid that a Ducati rider could defeat him.

"The _Scarlet Witch_," mimicked Logan, "has a Pajero, Psylocke, which is obviously more appropriate for traveling with baggage."

_Scarlet Witch? _That was the name of Magneto's eldest daughter, if Gambit was not mistaken.

"Hey, don't talk about her that way, and she has a name - Wanda," Gambit saw the blue boy mutter.

"Easy, Elf. And here they come," Logan looked straight ahead, and Gambit could see two points of light getting bigger and brighter.

"You've got to be kidding me," Logan growled, as he sniffed some more.

"What's the matter, Logan?" the Professor asked.

"Oh, those kids are in trouble," muttered Logan, as the smell of alcohol teased his nostrils. "_So much trouble._"

When everyone looked confused, Gambit decided not to waste time speculating about what Logan meant, and waited to meet his opponent - Rogue.

Seconds later, a black Pajero pulled up through the X-mansion gates, and came to a stop before the X-Men. A red Honda Active was being trailed by the big, comfortable car. A tall girl, with hip length, slightly-curly, brown hair, got out from the driver's seat.

Yes, Gambit thought, definitely Magneto's daughter.

She looked at Kurt, and smiled. Immediately, the blue boy was beside her, captured her lips with his, bent her backwards, and dipped her low in very classic, yet cheesy romantic pose.

"Um guys," called a giggly voice from the passenger seat of the Pajero. "Help me out, please." With that, the girl burst into a fit of laughter, hiccuping in between giggles.

"Oh no," murmured Jean Grey. "Kitty's drunk."

As Evan rushed and pulled Kitty out from the car, the girl stumbled and started giggling again.

"Hey, Evan!" laughed the petite girl. "We, like, had _so_ much fun today."

Another round of giggling followed. Gambit quickly looked around to see what they were feeling. The reactions from the surrounding X-Men were hilarious. The Professor, Storm and Hank McCoy looked shocked, Jean, Scott, Warren and Betsy all looked resigned, Emma Frost had a smug expression on her face, the machine-for-hand guy looked dumbfounded, Blue Boy simply shook his head where else his lady love just rolled her eyes, and the Evan dude looked completely helpless.

"Uh, Kitty? Wanda?" inquired the black guy. "Where's Rogue?"

_Yeah, where's the Rogue?_ wondered Gambit, and waited for his rival to arrive. He was _so_ going to kick this mutant's ass, and show Storm she had nothing to worry about.

Just then, a red Ducati pulled up beside the Pajero, a black leather-clad figure sitting astride it.

_Red Ducati?_

Gambit almost laughed out loud. This Rogue dude was such a _girl_.

He watched with interest as the figure swung its leg aside and stood tall and still. That was when Gambit noticed...well, _the obvious_.

Where he _had_ expected the boots, but he never thought that they would be _high-heeled_ ones. The black, patent leather, stilettos were knee high in length, Gambit observed, and the bearer wore black leather pants that hugged her thighs and hips like a second skin. The black belt was simple, with just a silver buckle that had the design 'X' on it.

As his eyes slowly traveled upwards, Gambit saw a matching black leather, full sleeved, fitting jacket with a silver zipper on the front. The jacket, though revealing nothing, fit so well that it left little to the imagination as to what was lying underneath it. The falling heart-shaped silver zipper clasp was pulled up till the middle of the girl's full breasts, and Gambit could see a bottle green, lycra, boob top peeking out.

As Gambit looked straight at her, the girl took off the black helmet with her long, pale, black nail-lacquered fingers, and out poured a mass of wavy auburn hair, with a shocking white streak on the front. The girl slowly swung her head from side to side, letting the silky hair fall gently to the middle of her back in soft, luscious waves.

And then, with eyes like burning emeralds, she looked at him.

"Rogue," Gambit heard someone say, maybe Wolverine. With the Goddess in front of him, Gambit couldn't concentrate on anything else. There was really only one thing that could break his lust-filled infatuation at the moment.

As the fiery green eyes left his ruby red ones to settle on the gruff man beside him, sudden realization dawned on Gambit.

This utterly gorgeous girl...

This sinfully sexy girl...

_His_ Goddess of lust...

...was _the Rogue._

**A/N: So, what do you guys think ;)? I dunno whether this Gambit-mistaking-Rogue-for-a-guy has been done before or not. I got the idea when one of my flatmates, who never read the X-Men comics or saw the movies/cartoons (weird, right?) before she met me thought Rogue was a guy because of her name.**

**Also, I've nothing against Ducati or Scooty, so don't take it personally, please. Hell, I can't even ride a bicycle :(.**

**So, let me know how it was :). Would love to have some feedback, and also suggestions as what you want to see in later chapters.**


	7. Wolverine, Gambit and Anna

**A/N: Hi all :). **

**Sweetcornbee: **I haven't read much ROMY/X-Men fics, and whatever I did, I didn't this Remy-thought-Rogue-was-a-guy thing before, so I thought it would be interesting ;). Trust me, there_ will_ be some serious Danger Room ass kicking between Rogue and Logan when she finds out what he did :D (not in this chapter, though).

**ChamberlinofMusic: **Believe me, sparks will fly the moment Gambit opens his mouth ;)

**Rogue237:** I know things were repetitive in the first few chapters (as we all have read/seen more or less the same thing in the comics/cartoons/movies), but I wanted to get the back story out before I could concentrate between the main protagonists of the story :).

**Alierana:** Here's the update, and in two days too ;). And butt kicking coming right up (though not in this chapter) - both for Logan and Remy.

**My Beautiful Ending:** Logan will definitely blow up over the alcohol thing...before he gets blown off for what he had decided to do, and Remy gets blown away by a woman unlike any he had met before :D.

**cerruenos: **I know, right ;)? Just goes to show you shouldn't underestimate anyone...especially when the whole X-Men were worried of the consequences...lol.

**XOXheartAmy: **So, you've also been in a position where your friend thought Rogue was a guy? Lol. Now you understand how I felt :D. And yes, Emma's quite bitchy, isn't she? Mainly to Betsy 'cause they share somewhat the same powers. So, why not with Jean? I know I promised no mysteries, but this is something I'll not reveal now, and reserve for later ;).

**Enjoy!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the different worlds of X-Men.**

Gambit was dumbfounded. No seriously, he _was_. Okay, so he might not admit it if anyone asked, and just shrug away the whole thing with a classic Gambit retort like _Remy doesn't love women, women love Remy_, but the truth was he truly was speechless.

For a man who didn't get dumbstruck very often, that was quite an accomplishment. Gambit thought he had seen all he had to see in life, and after killing his own _father_, he had been positive that nothing in this world could surprise him anymore. Most definitely not women.

Gambit had bedded more females in his life than the combined male members of X-Men had even seen in their whole lives, Gambit was sure. And the best part was, he hadn't even needed to wine or dine or buy them expensive jewelery, like he was sure Warren Worthington III aka billionaire playboy did, to get the women to drop their panties. One look at him, and the ladies panted for more.

And yet..._she_ hadn't looked at him twice.

The moment her eyes had slid away from him to Wolverine, her eyes seemed to have burned even a brighter green as she had happily crossed the distance and embraced the furry guy. _That_ had stung. If she...well, _the Rogue_, a name he really didn't like, had given him the boot for a guy like Angel or Cyclops, Gambit would have understood. There were a certain percentage of the ladies, not large mind you - just a small percent, who went for polished, sophisticated kind of guy like Mr Wings, or preferred the uptight, boy scouts like his _brother_. Gambit usually didn't care because he was never attracted to those kind of girls.

But to be left for the short, stocky guy? Now, that seemed like injustice.

Before now, Logan had been the only male X-Men that Gambit really liked. The guy was a lot like him, though he could do with some serious lightening up. Still, he was way better than Angel or Cyclops, two men Gambit really didn't see himself getting along with. The Professor and Hank McCoy seemed more like a foster dad and a sympathetic uncle, not a comrade in arms, and the rest of the X-boys were just too young. Hence, Gambit really didn't like the idea of having to fight Logan for his _Goddess's _attention.

Apparently, though, that was what he would have to do, Gambit thought as he got ready for this morning's meeting.

This was something he really didn't like. Gambit was not a morning person, but he wished the Professor would at least wait until after breakfast before he called the board-meeting. However, it would seem like it was not the old guy's fault. When the Professor had telepathically requested a board-meeting with the older X-Men, he did mention it was Logan who wanted to have a word with them all. Knowing Logan, Gambit was glad the meeting was taking place at eight in the morning, and not at five.

Still, he wasn't ready. Thanks to a certain green-eyed beauty, Gambit had not been able to sleep at night. Last night had been filled with wet dreams involving himself and the auburn-hair-with-white-streak lady, and Gambit had woken up more than once, all sweaty and tangled in his sheets.

It was already eight, but Gambit didn't care as he slowly made his way to the board-meeting room in the basement of the mansion. Lack of sleep aside, the Cajun had taken the time to dress himself up for he was sure he was going to meet his Lady Love on the other side of the door. Nothing too flashy - just his dark jeans with a black muscle shirt and deep brown biker jacket.

As expected, everyone was already present and seated when he entered the room.

"Nice of you to show up, bub," growled Logan.

Gambit was momentarily startled at Logan's gruff manner, though his face revealed nothing. He had thought he was the one who was going to need to give Logan the cold shoulder, not the other way round. He wondered what had gotten into the never-aging mutant.

"My apologies," Gambit said, as charmingly as possible, to the rest of his fellow members. He had hoped his smooth voice would make a certain lady turn her head around, but nothing of the sort happened. The girl in question seemed to be looking at the Professor and had her profile to him, though he was not complaining. Even sitting down and faced away, she made a striking figure.

"Had a restless night," Gambit offered in way of explanation, and was glad to see a seat vacant beside Storm on the other side of the oval table, meaning he would be able to get a good look at the female lead of his lusty fantasies from the previous night.

"I'll bet," Logan muttered, and Gambit wondered again what exactly it was that had suddenly turned Logan against him.

He slowly made his way towards Ororo, who was seating on the left hand side of the Professor. The Professor sat at the head of the table, with Cyclops sitting on his right hand side. Jean was seated next to her husband, and Wolverine occupied the seat on her right.

Gambit took the seat between Storm and Emma, who was seated opposite Wolverine and seemed to be on a glaring contest with him, and took note of everyone else before finally letting his eyes settle on her. Hank was sitting on the other side of Emma, and beside him was the drunk petite girl he had seen last night. Opposite the brunette sat the Blue Boy. Angel and his girlfriend were also sitting opposite each other, with the dark, athletic boy taking the last sit exactly on the other side of the Professor.

At last, Gambit let his eyes fall on the girl who occupied the seat opposite Hank and sat diagonally from him - Rogue.

Before he could draw her in with his charm, which Gambit couldn't do with a glance as she had still not looked at him, Logan cleared his throat in order to get everyone's attention.

Well, Gambit thought sardonically, at least one lady had her eyes only for the clawed man as he saw the girl of his dreams smile up at the gruff man. From the moment he arrived about two minutes ago, the girl had not looked at anyone else. It might not be a long time, but Gambit wasn't used to being ignored for so long, especially since Blue Boy, Mr Athlete, and Ms Petite were openly staring at him.

"Now that we have dealt with the welcome party last night," Logan said, "let's get started with the punishment part."

"_What?_" cried out the Kitty girl, while Gambit hid his smile. He might have not been in the mansion long, but he had already seen Cyclops hand out detention to the wayward teenagers.

"Uh, before we get to all that, Logan," the Professor interrupted, "I believe we need to introduce our newest member to some of the older team mates."

"Oh yeah, forgot about that," Logan said, glaring at Gambit. "Stripes, Elf, Half-pint, Porcupine? The devil you see sitting there is Gambit. He'll be in charge of your Danger Room training sessions from now on."

"Not really the proper introduction I was hoping for, but I guess that will do," murmured the Professor, while Gambit felt amused by the various nicknames Logan had come up with for his fellow team members.

"Mr LeBeau, the four new faces you see are Rogue, Kurt, Kitty and Evan," said the Professor, pointing out the students. "And this is Mr Remy LeBeau, X-Men, commonly known as Gambit."

"Hi, nice to meet you," said Blue Boy, smiling at Gambit.

"Hey, Man! So, what's your power?" asked the one called Evan.

"Wow! Your eyes are, like, totally awesome," supplied the Kitty cat with exuberance.

However, Gambit wasn't really interested in any of them, but the one he was trying to engage in conversation seemed to ignore him totally as he saw her frowning while she looked at Logan.

"What is this about all of us getting a new DR instructor?"

Gambit knew that that would be a _long_ conversation, and probably end up in fighting as the X-Men seemed pretty eager to don on their battle gears every chance they got. Hence, he decided to take matters in his own hands.

"It's pleasure to meet you all, _mes amis_," Gambit said to the three in general, before turning to his Rogue. "I've been hearing about you all from everyone, but while I got the others' christian and code names, I don't believe I've heard your _real _name, _chérie."_

"It's Anna Raven," piped up Kitty, before noticing that Rogue had turned to glare at the younger girl.

"Uh, Anna Marie Raven?" Kitty said hesitantly, and when Rogue continued to glare harder, she whispered almost silently, "Anna Marie Raven Darkholme."

"Kitty!" Betsy admonished, trying to shut the girl up.

"What?" asked a confused Kitty as she looked around at everyone. "That's the name Mystique gave her when she and Irene Adler adopted Rogue. I updated the files in our database myself."

"Anna," murmured Gambit, liking the way the name felt in his mouth. Much better than Rogue - more _feminine_.

"The name is _Rogue,_ and everyone better remember it," muttered the green-eyed girl as she scowled at everyone in the room, saving Gambit for last.

Gambit smirked. _Finally_, he had her attention.

"Okay, enough!" Logan said, and stood up from his chair. "Now that you have all met the newest X-Man, let's get back to business." He then turned to Kitty. "You! You showed up drunk last night."

"Uh, I..." Kitty stuttered at the face of Wolverine's anger, so Rogue tried to get his attention's else where.

"Logan? About the new DR..."

"And you!" Logan growled. "You rode a bike after drinking? What were you thinking, Stripes? You could have..."

"Logan!" Rogue said, her voice a little more louder and sharper than she had originally intended. Then she sighed. "Look, I know we shouldn't have been drinking last night, but...the last week of college had been hell, okay? We all got pretty stressed out, so we decided to relax a bit."

"By drinking? When you knew you would be driving?" Logan crossed his arms as he stared down at Rogue. He wasn't about to let the kids of the hook. They were adults, something they liked to point out every chance they got, so they should learn to behave like one as well.

"I didn't get drunk," Rogue said, indignantly. "Wanda didn't either, just Kitty."

"Hey!"

"I just rode the bike after wards to get some fresh air...and in the hopes that if Kitty threw up, it wouldn't be on me."

"Hey, not fair!"

"She would have thrown up on Wanda, then," exclaimed Kurt and scowled at Rogue. "Rogue, what were you thinking?"

"Yes, Rogue, what were you thinking?" asked Evan with mock horror. "I mean, what kind of manners is that, girl? Don't you know the Scarlet Witch's gonna end up being your sister-in-law?"

"Evan!" Kurt murmured, blushing, which made his blue skin look a shade darker. Kitty giggled, Evan laughed, while Rogue merely rolled her eye.

Gambit was entranced - he even found the way Rogue rolled her eyes fascinating.

"That's it!" growled Logan. "All four of you will be in Danger Room after breakfast, starting with level eight."

"Hey, what did we do, man?" protested Evan.

"You will be meeting your new team leader," Logan said, and turned to glare at Gambit.

"Oh, cool!" exclaimed Evan.

"Yeah, this should be interesting," agreed Kurt.

"Hmm, it could be fun, I guess," Kitty acquiesced reluctantly.

"Wait a minute," said Rogue. "If he's the new instructor, what are you going to do?"

"I'll supervise the teachers," Logan slowly offered, well aware exactly where this conversation was headed.

"You mean..."

"I mean Shades, Red, Wings, Katana, Monster, Witch and, if she's ever inclined, Frosty will be training under me, while Gumbo here will be responsible for you four and the new kids."

"So, if you are training all the teachers, how come I'm left out?" Rogue said, her voice increasing in anger and decibel. "Aren't I a teacher, too? The Professor told me the last time I was home that I'll be in DR charge for everyone under fifteen."

"I know, but I've made you the exception in this case. You'll be under Gumbo's supervision," Logan said, with a note of finality in his words.

"But _why_?" Rogue practically shouted the question out. Everyone in the room had gone quiet, though Emma seemed very happy with the situation.

"Don't worry, _chère_," Gambit murmured, deliberately thickening his accent. From past experiences, he knew that women loved a man with a rich foreign accent. "You'll be in good hands. I'll take good care of you," Gambit smiled lazily as he finished, another trait chicks dig.

"You...you..." sputtered Rogue, not at all impressed with his subtle flirting, and recognizing the accent immediately. She came from a neighboring state, after all. "_You swamp rat_."

Gambit was startled. No woman had ever reacted that strongly to him, especially in a negative manner.

"Rogue!" chastised the Professor. "He's an X-Man, now. No showing disrespect for any team member, please."

"As long as he stays out of my way, that won't be a problem," muttered the feisty beauty. "I don't have time for attention whores. I have a one-on-one DR session with the Wolverine."

Rogue looked at Logan then, daring him to bail out.

"Challenge accepted, kid," Logan murmured, internally happy because the upcoming fight would just prove his point as to why he wanted Rogue under Gumbo's supervision. That reminded him, he needed to have a word with the SOB before he let him get anywhere near Rogue.

As Rogue walked out of the board-meeting room, and Emma seemed to be doing the same, Logan turned towards Gambit.

"Out, now! I need to have a word with you in private."

"As you wish, _monsier_," Gambit said pleasantly, then turned towards everyone. "Like I said before, it had been a pleasure meeting you all, especially you, _petite_." Gambit winked at Kitty then, and smirked when he saw her blush. Ladies still fell for his charm, so why didn't his Anna?

_Anna_.

He liked the name, and would use it to address her in the future. He had a feeling she would get furious if he did, and he quite liked seeing her all riled up. If she was such a dynamite when being argumentative, he wondered how she would be in bed.

_An Untamed Temptress._

_His untamed temptress._

_His Anna._

_Anna._

All of a sudden, Gambit found himself pushed up against a steel wall, Wolverine's three claws pointed at his throat.

"You are at it again, bub," growled Logan.

"What...what are you talking about?" Gambit was thoroughly confused here, and he didn't like the feeling at all.

"I can _smell_ you, you pathetic piece of shit."

"_What?_"

"Look, I may not have liked you when we first met," Logan began, "but after you rescued my ass, I found myself starting to grudgingly respect you. I brought you to the mansion and even invited you to join the X-Men. However, that doesn't mean I didn't do a little background check on you."

"What are you _talking_ about? I told you everything myself." Gambit so didn't get the man. He wondered if years of staying alive had addled the older man's brain.

"Not about the _women_," Logan murmured, narrowing his eyes at his captive.

_Now_ Gambit understood.

"Oh,"

"Yeah," agreed Logan. "I know you gotta reputation with the ladies, but the _ladies_ of this mansion is off-limits to you."

Gambit's eyes widened in surprise.

"I could smell the lust coming off you the moment you set your eyes on Rogue last night, and it hasn't stopped since," growled the older man.

In situations as these, Gambit knew it was better to stick as close to the truth as possible.

"Well, then there's no point in denying it," Gambit said, but continued quickly as he felt Wolverine's claws drawing blood, "but that doesn't mean I'll do anything about it. So yeah, you might be getting that smell for sometime. I can't help the way my body reacts, after all. However, I promise I wouldn't act on it."

"Good," Logan muttered. He let go of Gambit then, and walked away.

Gambit smirked, once he was sure Wolverine was out of his hearing range.

"That is," he murmured to himself, "unless she wants me to. Hmm," Gambit raised a finger to his chin and pretended to think, "Wolverine doesn't want me near her, and neither does she herself. Oh well, too bad. Remy never backs down down from a challenge, and this is the best one ever - as _Anna_ is the prize."

**A/N: So, what do you guys think ;)?  
**

**Let me know how it was :). Would love to have some feedback, and also suggestions as what you want to see in later chapters.  
**


	8. Cooking and fighting

**A/N: Hi there, all you lovely ladies :). As usual, I'll start with the thanks and answer your questions.**

**Sweetcornbee: **Oh trust me, once Rogue is done with Gambit, he wouldn't enjoy seeing her angry anymore ;). But we won't see it until next chapter.

**My Beautiful Ending: **Hope you are not rooting for Logan in the Rogue/Logan showdown. If you are, you will be disappointed. Rogue will show Logan how it feels to have one's ass kicked real good ;).

**ChamberlinofMusic:** Hey, don't feel bad about expressing your opinion. I like it when people are honest. That's why I ask for suggestions, so that I can write what readers enjoying reading. Now, as for Gambit's character, I deliberately made him that way. As the story progresses, you will see why. In short, Gambit had not been in touch with refined people for over ten years. During this time, he forgot how to trust and respect people. You saw how easily he turned against Wolverine in the last chapter, even though Logan brought him to the mansion and asked him to join the X-Men. As he continues to stay and work with the X-Men, Gambit will learn to be civilized again, and _be the man we love for the woman he loves_. Rogue, too, will learn that first impressions are not everything, reminding her that people do change, like she had.

**Rogue237: **Oh Rogue will fall for Gambit, but it will be quite a long journey, full of many interesting things ;).

**Now, on with the story.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the different worlds of X-Men.  
**

Gambit had thought breakfast would be delayed because of the meeting, so he went in the dining room of the mansion at about nine in the morning. Instead of finding it full, the room was almost empty. Gambit frowned as he stood at the doorway. This wasn't the usual sight he had come to expect in the few days he had been here.

Although the X-Men, minus four of them - Kitty, Kurt, Evan and his Anna, were always well-behaved, the ones known as the New Mutants were a nightmare. The dining room used to resemble as if a tornado had gone through a circus performance every time Gambit appeared for breakfast.

"Oh, hey, Gam...uh, Remy," said an excited though quite flustered Kitty as she spotted Gambit hovering in the doorway. "_Thank God_ you are here."

"What happened, _mon petite chat_?"

"Hey!" Kitty cried, indignantly. "Just because I prefer _Kitty_ over _Katherine_, doesn't mean you have to make fun of it."

"Okay, okay," Gambit murmured, raising his hands in surrender. "How 'bout _Tigresse_? I like to have nick names for everyone...like _Monsieur Claws_."

Kitty laughed.

"I like _that one_."

"So, _ma belle Tigresse, _what are you doing here all alone? Where is everyone?" Given Logan's warning, Gambit didn't want to inquire about his Anna particularly.

"That's just it," Kitty cried out, mad once again. Gambit wondered if it was _that_ time of the month for her. The girl was suffering from serious mood swings. "Nobody here knows how to show some respect."

"Uh, what hap..."

"You are probably the only gentleman, no _person_, left in this mansion," Kitty continued loudly, ignoring him completely, as she began to fiddle with the oven.

"Uh, thanks?"

"Here," said the tigress, all smiles, as she brought a baking tray in front of him. "Try them and tell me how they are."

Gambit looked at the tray Kitty was holding towards him, and he had this uncanny feeling that he knew why no one was down for breakfast. As far as Gambit knew, the X-Men were usually in charge of preparing the food, where else the New Mutants helped with the household chores.

Now that she was back for the summer, it might very well be Kitty's turn on the roster to make this morning's meal, and if the burned muffins were any indication, it was little wonder that the dining room was completely empty.

"Well? What are you waiting for? _Take one_," Kitty muttered, getting angry again.

"Uh, okay," Gambit said, as he looked for one that seemed to be the least scorched, and bravely brought it near his mouth.

He then scowled at himself.

_Was he really afraid of a muffin? What the hell could it do? So, it might taste bitter. So what? He could endure it. He was a STRONG man._

However, what Gambit forgot to take into consideration was that the people of the X-mansion knew Kitty longer than he had. If they had decided to forgo breakfast, then it meant there _was_ something to be afraid of.

Gambit found out as soon as he took a bite.

"Ahhh," Gambit cried out, as he threw back the bite he took a moment ago, the slightly chewed pieces falling over the rest of the muffins in Kitty's hand.

"_Not you, too!_" exclaimed Kitty angrily, as she dropped the tray from her hands to the floor. "Fine! I've had it with you people. I'm _never_ cooking again!"

"Promise?" asked a hopeful Kurt as peered from outside through an open kitchen window.

"_Ugh_!" screeched Kitty, stomped her foot, and then strode away from the kitchen.

"But _Tigresse_, you used salt instead of sugar..." Gambit trailed off as he saw Kitty had already walked out the door.

Soon, the X-Men and New Mutants began to file in the kitchen - some through the door, some through the various open windows of the big kitchen slash dining room, Evan and Kurt teleported inside, and Jamie rolled out from under the dining table...well two of him did, before he merged and became one.

As Storm raised an inquiring eyebrow at the twelve year old, the boy looked accusingly at the teenager who Gambit considered would become his favorite student - Berzerker.

"When we came into the kitchen and saw Kitty, everyone tried to rush out before she noticed. I would have gotten away too, but _he _pushed me, knocking me off balance. I had to think fast as I had only two choices - either I hid under the table, or eat Kitty's muffins." The boy looked contemplative then. "Actually, make that my only choice."

Gambit saw Storm turn to the accused and point a stern finger at him.

"Now, Ray..."

"Dude," Gambit felt a hand on his back and turned to see Blue Boy smiling up at him. "Thanks for saving me today."

"What?" Gambit asked confused. "Sorry, I mean..."

"I'm usually the one Kitty uses to test her...err, culinary expertise," Nightcrawler said, grimacing.

"You mean, she's always like _that_?" asked Gambit, though he wasn't really interested in starting a conversation with Mr Fuzzy. "I had thought the alcohol last night had addled her brains."

"Nah, it wasn't the alcohol," said Nightcrawler, as he pulled Gambit and settled into one of the chairs in the dining table. "The first time she made muffins and made me eat them, one bounced like a rubber ball on the floor when it fell."

"At least, it didn't crack the floor," said a new voice, and Gambit saw Cyclops pulling a chair beside Blue Boy and sat opposite Gambit. The older guy looked at him and smiled. Gambit smiled back, though irritation began to flare within him. He didn't like these _cozy _get-togethers, definitely not one that involved his elder _brother._ He was a loner by nature, like Wolverine.

"Dude! Don't tell me you ate that?" Kurt asked Scott, giving him a wide-eye stare.

"Nah, I didn't. It fell on the floor before I had to taste it," Scott replied with a laugh. "She was looking for you to try it, by the way."

"I know," Kurt replied, resigned, and put his head down on the table.

Gambit wondered if the two would notice if he slipped off quietly. _This_ really was not his scene.

Before, he could make his gateway though, Warren and Betsy entered the room...with Rogue.

_Anna._

"You are not serious, though. Right?" Warren asked somberly, and Gambit wondered what they had been talking about. As Wolverine was not nearby, Gambit stared openly at Anna and her friends.

"Of course, I am, Warren," Rogue muttered exasperatedly. "Betsy, would you tell your boyfriend that I don't make idle threats."

Rogue left the pair behind and made her way to the fridge. Since Kitty had decided to cook this morning, needless to say, nothing productive had come out of that. Thank God, the mansion's kitchen was always well stocked. The X-Men and New Mutants made good use of it when ever it was Kitty's turn, or rather _she_ decided it was her turn, to prepare a meal.

There were some yogurt in the fridge, and Rogue took one out.

"But, Rogue? It's Wolverine! Surely, you don't want to hurt the man you consider your family," Warren murmured, still looking agitated. Rogue turned to glare at the blond man.

"I consider Evan my family too, but do you see me cheering him on when he's skipping classes to go skating with his buddies? Kitty's not only like a younger sister, but she's my best friend too, something that really miffs Wanda. But do you see me praising Kitty's horrible cooking? I don't_ have_ to consider Kurt my family, he _is_ my younger brother, but that doesn't mean I listen to him moaning about how much he misses Wanda every time she goes back to the Brotherhood mansion." Rogue ranted at Warren. "Seeing a pattern here? I _do not_ lie to people. I tell them exactly what I think and do exactly what I feel I should do. So, Wolverine's going to get what he deserves. Don't like it? Blame Mystique. She's the one who taught me how lies can destroy a person. Her betrayal is the reason I hate anything fake, things and people alike."

With that, Rogue walked out of the kitchen.

"Man, what did you do?" Gambit heard Kurt whine. "Now, I'll have to go calm her down, seeing that Kitty's already mad herself."

"Why, I thought you liked that job, _Mr Wagner_?" Emma Frost murmured, sarcasm coating her words.

"Not when she's spitting nails," moaned Kurt, then looked angrily at Emma. "Jealous?"

"Why would I be..."

"'Cause she's got people to take care of her, unlike _you_."

"Kurt!" Scott and Warren admonished sternly, but he was already gone, leaving behind a puff of black smoke.

"Oh, please, like it isn't true," murmured Tabitha, then gave a high-five to Jubilee and Amara each, as the three girls continued to laugh.

"I'm leaving," muttered Emma Frost, and got up from her chair.

"Bye bye," sang the three girls, before starting to giggle again. Even Betsy snickered. Emma Frost left with a huff.

"Betsy," scowled Scott, "that was very unprofessional of you."

"_What?_" Psylocke put her hands on her hips and glared at the leader of the X-Men.

"Uh, you know, you are a teacher," Scott stammered.

"_So?_"

"So, uh, Emma's a teacher too, and...and..."

"What's your _point_, Cyclops?" Psylocke asked, narrowing her eyes at Scott.

"What he's trying to say, love, is that you shouldn't encourage the kids to insult another teacher," Warren answered. Betsy turned her glare at her boyfriend.

"_Really?"_

"Uh, yes?" Warren replied, not sure where Betsy was taking this.

"Hmm," murmured Betsy in a dangerous voice, then turned towards the three teen girls. "Tabitha? Jubilee? Amara?"

"Yes, Betsy?" answered the girls simultaneously.

"Did I _encourage_ you girls to insult _Ms Frost_?"

"No, Betsy," replied the girls simultaneously, again. "We don't need encouragement to do that. We are fine even without it," finished Tabitha, and the three girls burst out laughing again.

"Did you boys hear that?" Betsy asked venomously. "_Cyclops? Angel?_"

"Betsy, I..." Scott started.

"Love, we..." Warren stuttered.

"Do not _talk_ to me unless you two are ready to apologize first," Betsy screamed, before walking out of the kitchen.

Warren sighed. "That went well," he muttered. "God, but I so do not _need_ that right now."

"Warren, I..." Scott began, when suddenly Iceman seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Guys! It's begun. Come on," with that Bobby ran away.

"What was that about?_ What_ has begun?" Scott asked as he saw Tabitha, Jubilee and Amara run after Bobby.

"The fight," supplied Roberto, as he skidded to a stop in front of the kitchen door. "Wolverine versus a moping Kurt, a joyous Evan, an angry Kitty, and a very dangerous and lethal Rogue."

"I don't believe this! They are actually going to do it?" asked Warren, shocked.

"Oh, this can't be good," muttered Scott.

Suddenly, Gambit laughed out loud. When Scott and Warren looked at him funny, he just shook his head.

"I just remembered why I joined the X-Men," Gambit said. "The _drama_ never stops."

Scott and Warren sighed, and walked out of the now empty kitchen, Gambit following close behind.

R~G

"Fight back, Logan! Don't make this so easy, now," Rogue shouted sarcastically, as she stood in mid air, waiting for Wolverine to get up.

"Oh, please! Like he will be able to get out," said Kitty, as she rose from the ground, took hold of Wolverine's legs, and pulled him down.

The control room above was full to the the brim, as all the mutants had come to watch what they were calling the showdown of the year. Storm and Jean couldn't even keep the younger ones away. Laura made sure of that.

"Man, this is boring," wailed Evan. "We didn't even have to do anything."

"I'm happy that way," whispered Kurt.

"You are just moping because Wanda didn't stay the night," Evan snickered.

"Enough, you two!" Rogue shouted. "Kurt, go and teleport the man up."

"But why?" whined Kitty.

"'Cause I wanna kick his ass," Rogue muttered.

"You already did," scowled Evan. " I want a shot at him." With that he shot sharp bones out and aimed them at Wolverine, which Logan deflected now that his feet were back on the floor, thanks to Kurt.

Up in the control room, Marrow gasped. Gambit looked at her, and pulled her beside him with a smile. He then looked down again. So, that was what Evan could do, Gambit thought, and his Anna could fly. Gambit was amazed.

Down below, Logan decided that if he didn't seriously throw out some good punches, Rogue and the others would most likely want a rematch. That would delay their training with Gambit, and he didn't want that.

Narrowing his eyes at Kitty, Logan ran towards her. Evan came charging from the backside, and just before he could reach Kitty and Evan's bones could create holes in his back, Logan jumped up and did a back flip, landing not only behind Kitty and Evan, but also Kurt. Before he could teleport away, Logan took a hold of Nightcrawler's tail and threw him against one of the steel walls of the DR. Hard. Needless to say, Nightcrawler was literally out of the game.

As expected, Kitty and Evan came running towards him, while Rogue flew down. Deciding Kitty would be the easiest to take down among the three, Logan deflected Rogue's punch, and ran towards Evan. He chopped the bones Evan threw at him with his claws, and before Rogue could reach him again, he thrust himself on top of Evan, taking the younger boy down.

Evan slammed his head on the ground, but still managed to get up, but not before Logan rolled them over and kicked Evan in Kitty's direction. Caught off guard, Kitty didn't phase quickly enough, and the two flew backwards together and crashed on another wall.

"It's just you and me, Rogue," Logan taunted, as he got up and faced her. "Just like old times."

"But this is the last time, isn't it?" Rogue muttered. "You haven't changed your mind, did you?"

"No, I haven't," Logan confirmed, as the two began circling each other. "And by the time this session is over, you will know why."

"Well, then. If this is our last one-on-one, then I want to relish every moment of it...which means, you're going _down_."

Once again, Rogue flew towards Wolverine at high speed. Logan waited till the last moment, to jump up and do a front somersault, but Rogue had already anticipated the movement, and pulled a one-eighty in mid air and kicked Wolverine on the chest.

Logan flew backwards, but managed to stop himself by putting his feet on the ground. He looked up, and then charged again with his claws out. Rogue didn't bother flying. She just sat as soon as he got near her and kicked Wolverine's legs out from underneath him with one of her own. Then, she jumped on top of him, but Logan somersaulted so that he was on top...another classic Wolverine move that Rogue was well aware of.

Before Wolverine could point his claws at Rogue's throat, she took hold of his wrists, and kicked his thighs apart that straddled her with her feet. Still holding his hands, Rogue flew up fast and thrashed Wolverine on the ceiling of the DR...then released her hold.

Everyone in the control room gasped. The DR room was as high as a ten story building.

Not really wanting to kill Wolverine or cause any serious damage, though Logan would heal right up, Rogue flew down at the last moment and caught him bridal style.

Logan looked up at her, and gave a warm smile.

"Hey, kid," Logan murmured, as Rogue simply shook her head, returning his smile.

**A/N: I know the DR is used with simulations and the X-Men do not fight each other, but as you know, they were settling a personal score ;). I know it was supposed to be Rogue/Logan showdown, but the four of them already had a DR session as punishment, so what you read here was a combination of the two. I didn't bring Gambit into it, 'cause I wanted the Gambit/Rogue one first before he started training everyone else.  
**

**Anyways, hope you liked it. I've never ever written a fight scene before.**

**As always, thoughts and questions are welcome. I don't like flames but constructive criticism is appreciated :).**

**So, let me know how it was :).  
**


	9. A bit of this, a bit of that

**A/N: Hello, ladies :). So, a few thanks before we start the story.**

**Sweetcornbee: **Glad you liked the last chapter :). This chapter will deal a little more with Rogue.

**My Beautiful Ending: **Happy to hear that you thought the fight in the last chapter was good. Never wrote anything like it before, so really appreciate your approval. This chapter will be from semi Rogue POV, so we will get to see what Rogue's powers are (partially).

**ChamberlinofMusic: **I'll try and make Gambit the charismatic man that we know he is ;), but that will take a little time.

**AliceCafe:** Thanks :). I'm trying to incorporate a bit of humor. Hope I succeed.

**Anyways, let's get on with the story.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the different worlds of X-Men.**

Though she was a telepath, but Jean Grey didn't need to use her powers to know that Logan wanted to have a private conversation with his four young X-Men. She gently but firmly ushered everyone out of the control room as Rogue, Kurt, Kitty, Evan and Logan made their way up. Ororo helped too, as there were far too many students cramped up in the glass container that served as the head office of the Danger Room.

However, it were the teachers who were difficult to budge. From Scott's expression, it was clear he wanted to have a stern word with all five X-Men for showing a lack of respect in fighting ethics when down below, especially as so many younger students had witnessed how members of X-Men fought against each other.

Hank just wanted to play doctor, and couldn't seem to wait to get the five of them in the med lab.

Being a gossip, Betsy wanted to witness the verbal showdown that she was sure would take place soon enough. Warren, though, was only there for Betsy, even if she was completely ignoring him.

The new addition, Gambit - her _brother-in-law_, looked quite proud and happy, but as she never intentionally entered someone's mind without his or her permission, Jean wasn't sure what the source of Gambit's amusement was.

And Emma Frost was there because everyone else was.

As the five came into view, Jean spoke before anyone else could.

"Scott, the Professor wants to talk to you," Jean said hurriedly, while mentally telling the Professor what had happened in the DR, and to keep Scott busy for the time being. Scott being Scott, he would eventually find the time to berate the younger four, while engage in a verbal spar with Logan. Mentally, Jean sighed. Sometimes, Scott took the whole leadership thing far too seriously.

"What? How did..."

"He told me telepathically just now. Go," Jean said, and turned to Hank before Scott could protest.

"Hank, I can't promise about Logan, but I'll definitely send the others to you as soon as possible, okay?"

Hank wanted to object too, but he knew that Jean would never intentionally break a promise. So, he bade everyone good-bye and left after an irritated Scott.

"Betsy? Warren?" asked Jean. "You two seem to be having a tiff - again - and I think it would be better if you two could talk it over somewhere private."

"Yes, Jean," said Warren at the same time as Betsy started to mutter that she didn't want to talk to her boyfriend at the moment.

"Please, you can gossip with Rogue and Kitty after they freshen up a bit," Jean said, and then smiled mischievously. "Ro and I'll join you too, and we can harass the two about the boys in their college."

That seemed to lift up Betsy's spirit, and the girl laughed as she let Warren drag her from the room.

Now, while the comment had made Betsy gleeful, Gambit had frowned at the mention of Rogue and college boys. Jean didn't notice it though, as she turned to address Emma.

"Emma, I'm taking Rachel and Megan to the gazebo. Jamie had set up an inflatable slide, as the weather is nice outside. Would you like to come?"

"Uh, me?"

"Yes, Emma, you," murmured Jean. "I may have adopted her, but Megan's still your daughter. I thought you would like to spend some time with her, but maybe I was wrong?"

"No, no," Emma said hastily, "I...I'd like that very much. Just...just..."

"She believes I'm her mother, Emma," said Jean, patiently. "So, there's nothing to be worried about."

"Yes, yes, of course," Emma said, sadly. "Yes, I'd love to spend some time with her...and with Rachel, too."

If Gambit hadn't been surprised when he first saw Emma acting unsure of herself when Jean addressed her, for Emma was definitely the most confident woman Gambit had ever met...and he had met _a lot_ of women in his life-time, his eye-brows nearly reached his hair line when he heard that Emma was Megan's real mother.

"You're can't be serious!" Rogue muttered angrily as she strode into the control room from the glass-covered lift. "You are inviting _this_ woman to hang out with _your _daughters?"

Now, Gambit was really interested. He grinned lazily, for one, everyone else seemed to have completely forgotten that he was still in the room with them. It was one of the perks of being a thief...or rather, a thief who was trained by the patriarch of New Orleans' infamous Thieves' Guild. And secondly, though he was not into gossip, but Gambit loved the drama that were the lives of his fellow X-Men.

"Rogue..."

"Don't _Rogue_ her, Jean!" Kitty piped up, equally angry. "What were you _thinking_, asking _that_ woman to spend time with Megan and Rachel?"

"Uh, girls? Emma _is_ Megan's mother, remember?" Kurt supplied, though he got elbowed immediately by Evan.

"Dude? What are you _doing_? Shut up before you hurt yourself even more," whispered Evan urgently.

"_Mother_?" snorted Rogue, resting one hand on her hip as she jutted it out. "Does Emma even know the meaning of that word? Megan doesn't need a _mother_ like her. Jean is all that she requires."

"Megan wouldn't even be in this position if Emma hadn't _seduced_ Scott," Kitty added, agreeing with Rogue.

"Rogue, Kitty, please!" Jean said softly. "One day, Megan will have to be told the truth, and I don't want her to get hurt by finding out the circumstances of her birth."

"Yeah, yeah, we know, Red," Logan said, voicing his words for the first time. "But let's make sure Gumbo here doesn't blabber."

Everyone, except Logan, gasped as they turned and saw the man who had been standing silently in one corner.

Gambit raised his hands, as if in surrender, and gave everyone a charming smile.

"I didn't realize the conversation was going to get so personal," he said. "I was waiting to see what excuse my dear sister-in-law would give to get me out of the room," Gambit finished, and winked at Jean.

Jean blushed. She didn't think anyone would notice that she was trying to get everyone out of the control room to give Logan and the rest some privacy.

"I guess he has a point there," Kitty said, and smiled shyly up at Gambit.

"Well, it's not like he would have never found out," Kurt agreed. "Everyone in the mansion knows, except for the younger mutants, and Nate, Megan and Rachel."

"Duh! Emma's not the _Most Hated Mutant_ of the X-mansion for no reason," laughed Evan...but then he saw that no one found his joke hilarious. Immediately, he quieted down. "Uh, yeah. So..."

Gambit waited for _his_ Anna to defend him as well, but when she went on glaring at him like Logan, he decided to speak up.

"Look, I promise I won't breathe a word to anyone, okay?"

"That's fine, Gambit," Jean said kindly. "Now, let's give these insatiable fighters some space." Jean smiled at her fellow X-Men as she led Gambit and Emma out. "Come on, Emma. We need to hurry. I promised Betsy I'd join her gathering tonight."

As Gambit followed Jean and Emma out, he turned at the door, kissed his fingers and waved it at the ones behind in the CR. He winked at Kitty when she laughed, but didn't leave the room completely until he had given Rogue a thorough once over with his devil eyes.

Gambit smirked as he walked out on the corridor, and then started whistling a tune. The fire in his Anna's eyes as he appraised her had almost succeeded in arousing him. It was a first. He had met and slept with so many women, yet _they_ were always the ones who got turned on from just one look of his. He had to get them naked before _he _could feel his manhood stirring. And yet, one angry stare from his future lover, and Gambit was already adjusting his pants.

Gambit couldn't wait for the day when he would _finally_ have her.

R~G

Back in the CR, Rogue turned to Logan.

"Ugh! I can't stand that guy," she muttered, referring to Gambit, "and you want me to train under _him_?"

Before Logan could reply, Evan snickered.

"From the way he was checking you out, Rogue, I'm sure Gambit would love to train you _under_ him."

Logan growled and Rogue glared at the same time as Kurt started berating Evan and Kitty stood up for Gambit.

"Hey! That's my sister you are talking about."

"I'm sure Gambit doesn't think anything of that sort."

"Of course, Rogue's your sister, Kurt, but that doesn't make her any less sexy," Evan said, and did a very good Gambit impersonation as he winked at Rogue. "And trust me, Kitty, men like Gambit _do _want girls like Rogue to be _underneath _them."

"Oh, shut up, all of you," muttered Rogue. "Logan, would you mind telling me why I'm un...why Gambit has to be my DR supervisor?"

Logan sighed. Kurt, Kitty and Evan's antics had started to give him a headache...especially after the beating he took from Rogue. He was glad she would always be his ally in battles, not his nemesis.

"What did you learn from today's session, Rogue?" Logan asked, finally, looking up at the girl he almost considered his daughter.

"That I can kick your ass?" asked Rogue with a smirk. Kitty, Evan and Kurt cracked up, too.

"Exactly."

All four gasped in shock.

"Whoa..."

"Wow, like..."

"You...you're..."

"You're actually agreeing with us?" asked Rogue, finishing what the other three were unable to string in a sentence.

"Well...yes and no," Logan replied.

"Like, what does that mean?" Kitty asked, confused.

"Look, I care about you," Logan began. When he saw the look Evan, Kitty and Kurt gave him, Logan broadened his meaning. "All four of you, not just Rogue."

"Huh!" said Kurt incredulously.

"Yeah, right," Kitty replied sarcastically, agreeing with Kurt.

"As if we would believe _that_," Evan said, siding with the other two.

Rogue simply smiled.

"It's true!" Logan emphasized. "Now, the reason I want the four of you to train with Gambit is because he's very good with hand-to-hand combat."

"And we are not?" Kitty asked, outraged.

Kurt and Evan, too, started to protest, but Logan shut them up by pulling out his claws.

"LET. ME. FINISH. TALKING. FIRST."

All three quieted down, and Rogue narrowed her eyes at Logan.

"Gambit will be training you four, Forge and the New Mutants separately," Logan began again. "Now most of the New Mutants have offensive powers - Bobby, Ray, Sam, Piotr, and even Tabitha and Jubilation. That is not the case with you four and Forge."

"Hey!"

"Are you saying..."

"Will you three stop talking?" Rogue asked angrily. "Logan, I don't understand. Kitty can phase, Kurt can teleport, Evan can generate sharp bones, and I...I...I got Ms Danvers' powers. How are they not offensive?"

"Rogue..."

"Plus, we fought Magneto, the Sentinels, and even Apocalypse," Kitty said, interrupting Logan.

"Yeah!" Evan agreed, vehemently.

"Forge is the only one who's not well trained, but he almost never leaves his lab," Kurt finished.

"Well, times are changing, and we all need to be prepared, including Forge," Logan muttered, darkly. "Things have been quiet for far too long. It can't be a good sign. A war is coming, believe it or not. What I saw at Alkali Lake just proves it. The government secret agents won't attack us with guns blazing. They will try to take the x-gene out of us secretly. And if they fail, they will make weapons out of us."

Kitty and Kurt gasped, but Evan and Rogue frowned.

"What did you see in Canada, Logan?" asked Rogue, concerned.

"I'll tell you all later, but right now what's important is that you all train with Gambit. In short, what I found in Alkali Lake is mutant experimentation. Try and cure the mutants, or turn them lethal to be used by the government in battles. They have also got files about other projects being carried out all around the world. They are building devices to dampen our powers, or stop it completely when in contact with our skins."

"_What?_" Kitty asked, horrified.

"I'll admit Evan and your powers are offensive, Rogue," Logan continued, "but I want you four and Forge to learn how to fight without your powers. It's the only way to fight and defend yourselves if the MRD have those power canceling devices next time they start an all out attack. And trust me, Gambit is the best teacher for it. He's the one to save _me_ when I was trapped in Alkali Lake."

"_You_ needed saving?" Kurt asked, dumbfounded.

"And _Gambit_ saved you?" questioned Evan. "Damn, that guy must be real cool, man."

"I can't believe this," Kitty muttered. "The government officials are trying to secretly cure us?"

"Or use us," Rogue stated.

"So, now you know why I decided you should be trained by Gambit, Rogue. All four of you. Ro, Scott, Jean, Hank, Emma, Warren and Betsy will train with me because they have years more experience than you all. Once Gambit is satisfied with you four and Forge, then I'll once again take over your DR sessions. That guy knows a lot of tricks, and I want you all to learn it."

"I'm in. Gambit sounds cool," Evan said.

"Yeah, me too," Kurt agreed.

"Rogue and I are in, too. Isn't that right, Rogue?" Kitty asked, looking up at the taller girl with puppy-dog eyes.

Logan grinned.

"Okay, fine! Now leave me alone," huffed Rogue. Kitty, Kurt, and Evan left, laughing.

"You okay, kid?" Logan asked Rogue softly, as the other three vacated the CR. "Carol's not giving you any trouble, is she?"

"No, no, she fine," Rogue said, giving Logan a sad smile. "She misses you sometimes, though. She misses fighting along side you."

Logan laughed.

"I sometimes wonder..."

"What?"

"Whether the connection I feel with you is actually because of Ms Danvers or not,"

"Not," Logan replied immediately. "Carol and I were never close, Rogue, not in any way. Because of her superhuman strength, endurance, flight ability and all, Carol always saw herself as a hero who needed to save the world. Love and emotions were never a part of her life, or at least, she made sure it would be that way."

"I know," Rogue sighed.

"You sure she's not giving you trouble anymore?"

"None of the psyches bother me anymore, Logan," Rogue said with a slight smile. "The intense therapy I did with Jean and the Professor for two years had helped control them, especially after I followed Jean's suggestions. The last three years had been wonderful. Even if Mesmero hadn't controlled my mind to make me absorb Ms Marvel's power on Mystique's order, I'm sure I'd have been able to touch by now by myself."

"So Jean's suggestions really worked?"

"And the therapy, after wards," Rogue said, nodding her head. "When I was mind-controlled by Mesmero to absorb Ms Danvers because Mystique couldn't hide her ass anymore, I thought I was a goner. None of the psyches had given me as much trouble as Ms Marvel's. Not that that I blame her. Juggernaut had held her down as I was forced to absorb all her powers permanently. There was nothing left to her, as you saw. She went in a coma."

"It was not your fault, Rogue," Logan said soothingly.

"I know," Rogue said, as a silent tear ran down her cheek. "I was sixteen, Logan, only sixteen when I absorbed Carol Danvers. Ever since my power manifested at the age of thirteen, I had been nothing but a puppet in her hands, Logan. At least, she wasn't around when I grew up. Irene was really a good mother, though, I guess she could have made better _friends_."

"I wish I could speak highly of Destiny, but she was the one who foresaw your future after your birth, and told Mystique about it. Who knows how Owen and Priscilla would have treated you, but Mystique didn't really give you a chance to find out, did she?"

"They are dead now, Owen and Priscilla," Rogue said, sniffing. "Still, Irene was good to me. Mystique, on the other hand, made me do despicable things. She had apologized, Logan, after the fight with Apocalypse. And yet, soon after, she did this because she couldn't fight Ms Marvel herself."

"I don't really know what the problem was between Carol and Mystique," Logan offered, scratching his head.

"I do," Rogue answered, pointing to her head.

"They all in there, huh?" Logan said, trying to change the topic. Rogue always got upset whenever she talked about either Mystique or Carol Danvers.

"_All_ of them, everyone I ever absorbed."

"How are they doing?"

Rogue laughed, lightly.

"You will be surprised. After the Professor telepathically opened all the doors that were preventing my powers from maturing, Jean suggested I let the psyches have their own worlds in my head. If they had their freedom in there, they wouldn't bother me anymore."

"It worked?" Logan asked, though he already knew the answer.

"You bet! They all have their own little worlds in my head, you know, like in Disney Land. They are all very happy in there, and they even come and help me if I ask them."

"So, you can use all their powers?" Now, this was something Logan hadn't heard yet.

"No, Logan! Honestly, from the way you are going, one would think you didn't know me at all," Rogue muttered, annoyed.

"You've been gone for the last three years," Logan replied. "You hardly ever came during the summer holidays, always visiting one foreign country after another."

"What can I say? I liked being in college. It's as close to normal I knew I'd ever get. Plus, I always wanted to see the world," Rogue said, smiling.

"I'm glad you are finally at peace with yourself, kid," Logan said, returning her smile. When he looked too closely, though, she looked away. Logan frowned.

"Is there something wrong, Rogue?"

"Uh...there is something I've been thinking about...more so, since Kitty mentioned my name to everyone."

"What is it, kid?"

Rogue closed her eyes for a moment, then looked beseechingly at Logan.

"Will...will you let me take your name?"

Logan looked surprised. He had not expected that one.

"She might have paid for my expenses for over ten years, but Mystique is the cause of all the problems I had to endure in my life. I'm not sure how my real family would have treated me, but considering my powers only manifested when I was thirteen, I'm sure they would have loved me. And the Professor found me almost immediately after that. If Mystique had not been there, I'd have most like joined the X-Men from the very beginning."

Logan understood what she was talking about. From what they had discovered, Owen, Priscilla and Carrie indeed loved Rogue, until she she went missing at the age of three. Mystique was nothing more than a power-hungry manipulator. Well, what could one expect from the woman who couldn't even keep her own son safe from danger?

"Anna Marie Logan," Logan tried. "Don't know 'bout you, kid, but it sounds a bit odd to me."

"How bout Anna 'Rogue' Howlett?" Rogue asked, then promptly burst out laughing. "Oh, I know, Anna Irene Howlett."

Logan sighed.

"Anna Howlett aka Rogue. No more changing, or I'm not adopting you. I don't look old enough to be your father, anyways," Logan muttered.

"Anna Howlett. Much better. I like it," Rogue nodded, happily.

"Well, then. Let's go and give everyone the good news, kid. Let's see who dares to mess with us now."

Rogue laughed, as they exited the control room.

"Oh, and Logan? You may not look old enough to be my father, but you are probably _old_ enough to be my great great great great great great great great..."

**A/N: As you can tell, I changed the age for when Rogue's power first manifested from the Evo and movie version . However, it is canon with comics (I think...need to revise ;)). Actually, all characters here have had there power manifested a lot earlier than in Evo.  
**

**But the talk about the fights with Magneto, Sentinels, Apocalypse are all from Evolution. MRD from Wolverine and X-Men. **

**Now, I was surprised when no one ever asked about what was the mistake Emma had made, since I mention it in the summary. Nevermind, though. Now, you know part of it ;).**

**Anyways, let me know how it was :).**


	10. Stormy weather

**A/N: Hello, ladies :). Before, I move on to thanking the wonderful people who take the time out to leave me some beautiful reviews, I'll like to point out that a friend of mine has kindly agreed to do a banner for this story. Of course, I can't put it here, but I did put a link of the banner in my profile. It's pretty HOT, so do check it out ;). It was made by my dear friend, yanxxx. She's awesome with these kind of stuff. She did most of the banners for most of my stories. I never met her in real life, but we forged a great friendship online. So, yeah, three cheers and five stars for YANXXX. Now, back to you all :).  
**

**Sweetcornbee: **Rogue has more powers than revealed in the last chapter. I'll explain them later. For now, just know that Gambit thinks she's strong and can fly. He has no idea what her real power is ;).

**My Beautiful Ending: **Me, too :). I love them as father/daughter, not as a couple.

**Rogue237:** Lol. It's just that I was thinking about the start of the Wolverine Origins movie, and how they showed Logan and Victor fighting in so many wars. Despite his looks, Logan _is_ very old, so I thought I'll have Rogue point in out ;).

**ChamberlinofMusic: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I always liked the Rogue/Logan dynamic, as long as they are not a couple.

**tfobmv18: **Thanks. I hope you like this chapter, too :).

**Lasach: **Hey, don't hesitate to point out anything that you will like me to improve. I really don't mind :). Now, I understand what you meant. It's just that I didn't want to waste too much time telling their back story, as I'm taking them all from the different worlds of X-Men. So, I guess, when I'm writing, I kind of end up making not much sense. Hopefully, we will not need to dig up anymore history, hence the chapters can flow freely now.

**Willowed Moon: **Thank you :). I hope you will like the future chapters, too.

**Alierana:** Thank you :). It's good to hear from you again.

**cerruenos: **Thank you :). You have no idea how truly Rogue will 'snap' him out of his funk ;).

**So, let's get on with the story.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the different worlds of X-Men.**

The New Mutants usually ate in the lounge-like area that was attached to the kitchen and dining room. This was because there was never enough seat in the dining table to seat all the X-Men and the growing number of students at the Xavier's Institute. The younger mutants ate there, too.

As Rogue entered the eating area behind Logan, she decided that the first thing she would do as a DR instructor was to let the kids pick a name for themselves. It only seemed fair, as they were not considered to be X-Men yet, nor were they a part of the New Mutants - the name the older mutants came up with for themselves.

Everyone that resided in the mansion were more or less present when Rogue looked for a seat. The New Mutants, especially the boys, were dying to make some remark about how much they enjoyed the fight in the DR earlier that day, but considering Logan was there with Rogue, they decided to keep quite for the time being. No one wanted extra chores as punishment from the Wolverine.

The girls, however, were busy sneaking glances at Gambit. Tabitha and Jubilee had already recruited Amara into their little gossip circle. The rest of the younger mutants, however, were not much interested in any of the teachers. And as it was already known, Gambit _was_ one of the new teachers. Plus, they had their own little secrets.

Rahne aka Wolfsbane had developed a crush on Roberto, better known as Sunspot. Magik thought Jamie was cute, more so when someone hit him and he multiplied himself, but was afraid to admit it because of her elder brother, Piotr. Danielle Moonstar, who preferred to be called Dani or Mirage, really believed that she hated Samuel 'Cannoball' Guthrie as she thought the older teenager was a big show-off, but her friend Tildie Soames knew that the truth was that Dani actually liked Sam. Tildie herself, though, was not interested in any of the boys - just like Laura and the Cuckoos.

"Ah, finally, you two decided to show up," Kurt said, as he patted the seat beside himself while gesturing to Rogue with his head.

"So, what did you guys talk about?" asked Evan, as he polished a shiny, red apple on his khaki shorts before taking a bite out of it.

"Evan, please don't rub things on that dirty pant of yours," chided Ororo. "The apple was probably cleaner before."

Betsy laughed, and even Jean smiled.

"I don't know what's so funny, Betsy," Scott muttered. "As an active team, we need to stay healthy. Evan should listen to Ro, and so should everyone else."

Betsy simply rolled her eyes, as Gambit watched the interactions, fascinated.

"Yeah..." Warren started, but was stopped by Rogue.

"Oh, please, Scott," Rogue said in a bored voice. "Not today, okay? We had a lot of fun today, so don't spoil it with on of your lectures. And Warren, do stop agreeing with everything Scott says."

Kitty giggled, but stopped when she saw Scott scowling at her.

The Professor and Hank sighed simultaneously.

"At least, things never get boring in here," Emma murmured, "even if things do sound _silly_."

"And that is why I'm still here," Gambit said with a smirk, his hooded eyes resting on Rogue. Rogue narrowed her eyes at him, and was about to make some sassy remark, when Logan spoke up.

"So, Kitty, the database needs to be updated, I'm afraid."

"When doesn't it ever?" Kitty replied, sighing. "Can I at least finish lunch first?"

"Sure," Logan answered, and Rogue smiled at him.

"What is it we need to add to the system?" Storm asked Logan. "Or are we deleting information?"

"Adding," said Logan. "Turns out, I've a daughter."

Immediately, a number of cutleries hitting plates and the table could be heard. Otherwise, the table was deathly quiet.

"You...you have a daughter?" Ororo asked, looking a bit miffed.

"That's what I said, Ro, didn't I?" Logan replied cryptically.

"And may I ask who's the mother?" Storm was definitely getting angry, and as if to prove the point, a lightening was heard outside.

The only ones who knew what was going on other than Rogue and Logan were the telepaths. However some, like Jean and occasionally Betsy, like when she was feeling benevolent, didn't invade others' minds without their permissions. Hence, Jean looked worried, Emma smug, the Professor simply shook his head in resignation, and Betsy actually laughed, for which she earned a withering glare from the Weather Witch herself.

"No, you may not," Logan said coolly. Although not a telepath, Rogue had a very good idea what was going on. However, she hid her smirk, not wanting to bring Storm's wrath down on herself.

Storm ignored the comment from Wolverine, and put her right index finger on her chin, as if she was thinking something over.

"Let me guess? If you found out now, then it must have happened sometime ago. Dare I assume the girl's all grown up now?"

"Ro, don't hurt yourself by all these guess works and assumptions," Logan replied, as if he wasn't at all aware how agitated Storm was getting. The rest of the occupants of the room, including the New Mutants and the children, however, were getting a bit concerned, and even scared, because of the storm that was suddenly raging outside.

"You...you...why, you...wait! Mariko can't be it, or else her husband, the Silver Samurai would have killed you by now," Storm muttered, as she began sorting out the possible women who could have mothered Logan's child.

"Ro," Logan growled, showing any sign of emotion for the first time.

"And considering other circumstances..."

At this point Ororo looked at Jean, who blushed and looked away, but not before Scott had noticed the red tints in her cheeks, and scowled even harder. Emma seemed to give a genuine smile at that, and Gambit briefly wondered what was the story _there _with the whole Wolverine/Jean/Scott/Emma...well, must be a trapezium for it didn't look like a clear _square_ to him. Still, _briefly_ was the operative word. As much as Gambit enjoyed the X-Men drama, his eyes focused on something much more interesting - the way the tight, deep red top was hugging his Anna's upper body...especially her D-cup breasts. Gambit approved.

"...that only leaves one woman - Mystique," Storm finished, with gritted teeth.

Rogue and Kurt looked momentarily startled at the mention of their mother's name...well Rogue at least, for Kurt still looked shocked, but Ororo didn't notice. She was waiting for a confirmation from Wolverine.

"Weeeell," Logan said, scratching his stubble, "yeah, I guess I can admit that Mystique _is_ her mother."

"_HOW DARE YOU?_" Storm practically screeched at the man in front of her. The inhabitants of the room were horrified as they saw some glasses in the windows shattering. They were not sure whether it was because of the storm Storm has caused, or from the high pitch of her voice.

"Wha..." Logan began.

"_How dare you sleep with MYSTIQUE?_"

"Wait," Kurt piped up. "That woman mothered other children beside me?" Now Kurt was outraged. "What _is_ her problem? She practically throws me in the river, then immediately adopts Rogue when she got lost because her real mother went missing, and now she has a daughter with _Logan_?"

"Uh, Kurt?" Rogue gently asked. "She didn't actually throw you in the river. You fell when she was trying to run away from Magneto. Also, when my mother vanished for unexplained reasons, and her sister Carrie came to look after me, I ran away from home as Aunt Carrie was very strict. But I was only just over three. Mystique_ kidnapped_ me before adopting me. What you should really know, though, is that Mystique _did_ in fact mother another child - Graydon Creed."

"_Graydon Creed?_ As in the leader of Friends of Humanity _Graydon Creed_?" Kurt asked, astonished. Rogue smirked.

"Yes, plus, Graydon Creed as in son of _Victor Creed_, Logan's arch enemy and _half-brother_," Rogue finished, laughing at the look on Kurt's face.

"_Ugh!_" Kurt cried, "I do not wish to know anymore. Me related to the hairball? Yuck!"

Rogue, however, was frowning, before her face lit up was a breathtaking smile.

"Logan!" Rogue exclaimed. "We are actually related! I mean, she's not my real _mother_, but Mystique did adopt me legally. And she had an affair with Sabertooth, who's your half-brother!"

"_Wait a minute!_" Storm asked, not sure whether she was now enraged because she was being ignored, or because she realized she _might_ have over reacted _a bit_.

"You were actually talking about _Rogue_ when you said you had a daughter whose mother was Mystique, weren't you?" Ororo asked, feeling quite foolish all of a sudden for she already figured out the answer to that.

"I always knew you were a smart one, Ro," Logan beamed, and Storm felt really embarrassed...especially as everyone was smiling up at her.

_She had really let the green monster out this time, hadn't she?_ Storm knew it would be useless trying to give them all an excuse, so she just left the room without a word. Jean got up from her seat immediately, and followed Ororo out.

"Wait! I'm coming too," Betsy shouted, as she too ran after the two. But she halted at the door, and looked back at Kitty and Rogue.

"Don't make any plans for this evening," Betsy said to the two younger girls. "We are having a girls'-only-night tonight." With a wink, Betsy left.

Rogue groaned.

"Would you believe even I'm _ not_ looking forward to this?" Kitty moaned.

"At least, I'm free," Emma replied, to one in particular.

"Of course, you are," Kitty muttered, "_because_ no one wants to hang out with you."

"Kitty," reproached the Professor.

"You shouldn't even be allowed to hang around with Megan and Rachel, like you did this morning," Kitty still murmured under her breath, so that the Professor wouldn't hear. Gambit, however, heard, as did Rogue and Emma. Kurt and Evan had already left the table to join the New Mutants, and Scott, Warren, Hank and Logan were sitting near the Professor.

Gambit noticed that Emma had looked slightly hurt and vulnerable, but recovered soon and she too, got up and left the room. That only left Rogue, Kitty and himself on this end of the table.

"So, Kitty, Logan's adopting me," Rogue said in an uncharacteristic sing-song voice. Kitty, characteristically, squealed in delight.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! I'm so happy for you, Rogue. After a mother like Mystique, you like, _so_ deserve a father like Logan."

Rogue grinned.

"If they play their cards right, I may even end up with a new mother soon - a mother like _Storm_," Rogue replied with a conspiratorially wink. The two then burst out laughing.

The two girls stood up, and Gambit admired Rogue as she waited for Kitty to collect some snacks before they left.

Rogue stood with her arms crossed below her breasts, something which made them look even bigger, and her hips jutted to one side. To Gambit, it seemed like a characteristic trait of hers, one he wasn't sure whether she was aware of or not. He realized he liked it - a lot. Gambit didn't remember ever admiring a girl's hips before. It was usually the breasts, or the long legs that would pull him in. Rogue, though, seemed to have it all - a slim, lithe figure, something he actually preferred over the usual hour-glass type, and yet big definitely-D-cup breasts, long, long, legs, and _very_ inviting hips, one he didn't even know he liked until he met Rogue - _his Anna._

"So, _chérie,_" Gambit drawled lazily, "what will you be called now that you have decided to take on Wolvie's name?"

Rogue turned, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Anna _Howlett_, not that it's any of your business!"

"Come on, _Anna_," Gambit pouted, "is that any way to talk to your partner?"

"You will not be partnering me in any thing," Rogue hissed, feeling herself getting angrier by the second.

"_Au contraire_, Logan has told me to give each of you _private _lessons," Gambit replied, with a sly smile.

"Why, you...you..."

"I know, I make the ladies go speechless, right?"

Rogue was about to reply, when Kitty came back, with her arms full of packs of Doritos, M&Ms, and other unhealthy savories.

"Oh, hi, Remy! What are two saying?"

"He was being..."

Gambit cut off Rogue's reply with one of his own.

"Nothing,_ ma tigresse féroce_," Gambit answered with a cheeky grin. "I was jut asking Rogue when she will be free tomorrow so that we can have our private DR sessions."

"Oh, like, wow!" Kitty remarked. "I didn't know we were supposed to have one-to-one lessons with you."

"But, of course," Gambit said, though his eyes were still on Rogue. "How would you learn to improve yourself if others are always there to watch your back? Now, with one of you at a time, I can _teach_ you all about how to have the upper hand. I have _lots_ of experience, you see. It will be my _pleasure_ to impart that knowledge to you."

The double entendre was not lost on Rogue, and even Kitty seemed to have picked it up, as she began to blush lightly.

"Yeah," Kitty giggled, "yeah, I guess you are right. Well, I'm free tomorrow morning. How does that sound?"

"Ten o' clock?" Gambit asked, looking very happy for some reason. Rogue got immediately suspicious.

"Yeah, ten in the morning's great," Kitty said.

"Well then, it means I've have only one slot free. Between the New Mutants, and teaching Kurt, Evan, Forge, whom I've not yet met but who was kind enough to let me know when he's free through the X-communicator, and the two of you, my days are completely booked."

"And _when's_ the only other free slot you have?" Rogue asked, narrowing her eyes, and already knowing she would not like the answer.

"Why, last slot of the day, of course," Gambit replied with a predatory smile. "Nine o' clock at night."

**A/N: Hmm, so what do you think's gonna happen now ;). I know I tried to pair up everyone, but as I mentioned before, this story will be full of drama :D. And trust me, there will be plenty of it in the coming chapters *rubs hand gleefully with an evil smile on*. There will be some pairings that might seem silly or outrageous, but I just can't help myself. I'm having far too much fun :D.**

**Of course, I'll love to hear if you guys come up some outrageous suggestions, too ;). I'll try and incorporate them in the story. So, let me know what you WANT!**

**Once again, if you have the time, do check out the banner. The link's in my profile.**

**Thanks.  
**


	11. A late night chase

**A/N: Hi there ****:). Sorry, the chapter came out a little late. I wanted to update earlier, but was a little busy. Now, frankly speaking, I really have no idea where I plan to take this story. I just keep getting these crazy ideas ;). So, I guess I'll keep writing that...maybe they will eventually make sense, or maybe not.**

**Sweetcornbee: **I absolutely love love love your suggestion ;). I plan on using it, but you have to wait till next chapter. That's when I'll have the DR fight scene between Rogue and Gambit (hopefully).

**ChamberlinofMusic: **Glad you liked it, love :D.

**My Beautiful Ending: **Loved the slapping and kissing idea ;). Wait till next chapter (hopefully), and you will get to read about it.

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the different worlds of X-Men.**

"Evan, any sign?" Rogue asked frantically as she ran down one of the empty corridors in the teacher's wing, trying to locate the senior members of the X-Men.

"Not one." Evan came to a stop as he met Rogue near a turn, while he came out of another corridor. "Damn, where are they?"

"Shhh, don't make any noise," Rogue hissed. "We don't want to wake up the students."

"Rogue, we are about to get attacked..."

"I know, I know. I'm the one who took a good bashing in the ass."

"...by aliens!"

Rogue didn't listen, though, as she looked from one darkened room to another.

"Well, that about leaves only the basement, I guess," Rogue murmured, frowning.

"Basement? Rogue, the basement houses the med lab, Forge's lab, DR, CR, Cerebro, the hanger and the board and conference meeting rooms. Why would they be in any of those places in the middle of the night?"

"Maybe Hank needed their blood samples, or Forge created another weird gizmo...I don't know, Evan. All I know is that we need to find them, and fast."

"Okay, okay," Evan conceded. "Let's go and check."

The two mutants silently but quickly made their way to a nearby lift and got in. Within seconds, they had reached the basement.

"Which way do we go now?"

"You check the labs, and I'll look in on the Blackbird and the Danger Room. It's not like we can get into the Cerebro or anything. We'll leave the meeting rooms for last. Don't think they are in there at this time of the night."

Evan had hurried away even before Rogue could finish giving her instructions, so she herself took off in the other direction. As she ran towards the hanger, she momentarily felt a little bit bad for Scott. If the other students were anything like Evan, it was no wonder Scott always looked constipated. Rogue and Evan were quite close, and if he couldn't even spare enough attention to listen to what she was saying, she doubted the New Mutants ever bothered taking proper instructions from Scott. And Rogue personally knew how much of a hard time Scott had with Kitty, Kurt, Evan and her. Even Betsy acted up sometimes. Logan most definitely did...all the time.

As she reached the hanger, Rogue found that the Blackbird was still in its place, meaning the senior X-Men had not taken off for any secret mission. She turned quickly and made her way to the Danger Room. One look from the glass walls of the Control Room, and Rogue saw that the DR was completely empty.

Now, Rogue could actually feel the panic rising within her. She hoped Evan had had better luck than her. There were no other places that she could think of that the teachers might have taken off.

Evan and Rogue met up again near the board-meeting room.

"Did you find them?"

"Nope," Evan muttered. "The med lab's empty, and Hank's missing too."

"What about Forge? Is he..."

"Lying on the floor of his lab in a very awkward position. Probably fell asleep while working on something."

"Hmm," Rogue looked around and saw that only the conference and board-meeting rooms were the only two left.

"Which one do you think we should check in?"

"The Professor doesn't really use the conference room unless he has some meeting with parties outside of the X-Men."

"The board-meeting room it is then," Rogue bit out, as she and Evan ran towards the aforementioned room.

As they threw the doors open, a light appeared on the room, and the two saw that like all the places they had checked previously, this particular room was empty as well.

"Guess, it's always the last place you look into, huh?" Evan murmured, the irony of the situation not lost on him. "Well, I really wish they are in the conference room."

"They better be," Rogue muttered. "I'm getting tired of this goose chase."

"Well, it makes sense. That is the only room in this place where our powers don't work. You know how the Professor didn't want any opposition mutant party attacking us should they get agitated while having a discussion with him. I mean, legend has it Magneto had destroyed quite a few buildings and hurt Scott, Jean, Logan and Aunty O plenty of times when he happened to have a disagreement with the Professor in his old head-quarters."

"That better be the reason why Logan hasn't sniffed us out yet, or why none of the telepaths had picked up on the fact that we are looking for them. I'd hate to think what happened to them otherwise."

By now, Rogue and Evan had reached the front of the conference room.

"Ready?" asked Evan.

"Yeah," answered Rogue. "Can't use our powers, but still be prepared, okay?"

The nodded at each other, and with a silent count of three, the two slammed their shoulders on the door...and went tumbling inside.

The sight that greeted them was not one they had expected. For a moment, the two even forgot why they were there in the first place.

Not only were all the senior X-Men present in the room, properly dressed and all, but there seven new faces, along with the recent addition to the X-Men, Gambit.

"Rogue? Evan? What are you two doing here?" asked the Professor.

"And for that matter, what the _hell_ are you two _wearing_?" Logan growled.

It was then that Rogue and Evan looked down, and gave an almost identical squeak of shock.

Evan realized that in his haste, he had only pulled on his black boxers, one that did not have a zipper at the front...for obvious reasons. Not that anyone could see his...err jewels, seeing that he was not suffering from _that_ kind of excitement at the moment.

Rogue, on the other hand, had took off in search of her fellow X-Men in the attire she had gone to bed the previous night – a black mini lace and silk baby doll. Thankfully, though, the silk wasn't see-through, and the lace was only on the hem and the low neck-line. There was no slit on the front of the bay doll either, so her assets were covered...barely.

"Uh..."

"Uh..."

Gambit looked Rogue over, appreciatively, where else the seven guests smirked at Gambit, knowingly.

"Where's Kitty and Kurt?" Ororo intervened, trying to distract Logan.

Rogue and Evan looked at each other and started talking at the same time.

"Kurt's asking _today_?"

"Kitty's gone, too?"

"Let me guess," Logan began, menacingly. "Kurt and Kitty are _not_ in the mansion right now." Logan actually snarled at this point, which shocked quite a lot of people in the room. "You two have exactly thirty seconds to explain yourselves, starting with the way you two are dressed."

Rogue saw red. Here she was, trying to save the lives of her fellow mutants, and Logan was standing there reprimanding her in front of a bunch of strangers.

"Well, fine. We didn't come here to disrupt your little late night party, anyways. The reason I'm dressed like _this_ is because it's my night wear. I was _sleeping_. I..."

"Ah, we are not having a late night party," Warren started, then back tracked fast as he saw Rogue glare at him for interrupting her. "Just thought I'd point that out," he finished in a small voice.

Betsy giggled.

"And you, bub?" Logan asked, narrowing his eyes at Evan. "Oh, and don't bother lying. I may not be able to smell anything in this room, but I read your body language just fine."

"Uh..."

"Is it one of the girls from the mansion, or..."

"No, no, no," Evan shouted, shocked. "I'll never take advantage of the younger girls here."

"So, you brought a girl _inside_ the mansion?"

"It's A-man..."

"A _man_?" Although he was wearing his trademark ruby glasses, it was still easy to see that Scott was horrified at the notion.

"_What_? No, no..."

"Look, Evan's over eighteen, so I don't think he needs to explain himself," Rogue interrupted. "Plus, we got bigger problems to worry about at the moment."

"That's right," Jean agreed. "You two never mentioned why you were looking for us in the first place."

Rogue and Evan looked at each other, and then looked at the unknown faces.

"Uh, we are not sure..."

"We don't think..."

"It's alright, you two," reassured the Professor. "You can speak in front of them. They are Gambit's family and friends, members of the Thieves' and Assassins' Guilds."

"_Members of the what_?" Evan had never heard of such things before.

"Only one member from the Assassins' Guild, their Matriarch - Bella Donna Boudreaux," said a voluptuous blond, with a mysterious smile and arching a perfect eye-brow at Rogue.

Rogue took an instant dislike to the woman...much like she had done with her companion, Gambit. They both seemed far too cocky for their own good, in her opinion. Plus, arrogant, self-centered, and not to mention the mysterious vibe the two gave off, like they knew something Rogue didn't.

"Charmed," Rogue replied, narrowing her eyes when she saw Gambit grinning wolfishly at her. "But I must apologize for not wanting to get to know you better. Got more _important_ things to deal with, you see."

Rogue then turned towards the Professor, and the other X-Men.

"Professor...was there anything that you forgot tonight?"

Evan barked out a laugh, before quickly sobering up. Rogue glared up at him, then addressed the Professor again.

"I do not think so. What is it you are talking about, Rogue?"

"Well..."

"Out with it, kid," Logan muttered, gruffly.

Rogue grimaced.

"Well, you see, I was sleeping in my room. Yes, alone, as you guys already know that Kitty is spending the night at the Brotherhood mansion."

"What happened, darlin?" Seeing the look on Rogue's face, Logan was getting a bit concerned.

"I got kicked in the ass, and pretty badly too."

Evan burst out laughing, where else the others looked shocked, except for Gambit's family and Bella Donna.

"_What_?" Scott asked. "How did that happen? You are now one of the strongest mutants we know."

"Telepathically..."

"Huh?" Warren was confused, and looked at Betsy, Jean, Emma and the Professor to see if they were able to figure it out.

"...by an alien Princess."

"Lilandra?" Hank spoke for the first time since Rogue and Evan gate crashed their meeting.

"I couldn't move or do anything, as she proceeded to beat the hell out of me. She was really mad, said the Professor had promised to meet up with her tonight. She didn't like the fact that not only did Professor not keep his promise to her, but she couldn't find any on the other X-men too. So, she came after me."

Rogue rubbed her arms then, feeling the sore muscles beneath her fingers.

"I heard noises from her room, as we are next door to each other, so I decided to go and check. I found her thrashing on the bed. Rogue was only able to get out of the trance when I started to shake her. I thought she was having a nightmare."

"Even in my nightmares, I don't get beaten up this badly," Rogue scowled.

"So, yeah, Professor. If you wouldn't mind...umm, subduing _Princess _Lilandra, we might be able to get some sleep tonight."

"Yes, yes, Evan, of course," the Professor replied, a bit flustered. "I did not realize that I had made a...an appointment with Lilandra for tonig...for now."

"You mean you forgot your date tonight? Man, I don't recommend doing that ever again. I mean..."

"Evan!" Ororo admonished. "Do watch your tongue."

"I'll...I'll go now and see what I can do," the Professor continued hurriedly, as he began to navigate his wheelchair out of the conference room.

"Professor?" Rogue stopped him. "I don't think you should go alone. Lilandra looked really pissed, so I suggest you take Jean with you."

"Rogue, it's alright. I..."

"No, Professor. I'd go with you myself, like always, but I think in this case, a telepath would be more useful. She...she...Lilandra felt insulted and she threatened to attack the children."

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," murmured another blond, smiling, the only other woman among the guests.

However, no one replied to her as Scott was already in leader mode and began barking out orders.

"Professor, if the children are threatened, then we have to be prepared."

"Scott, I don't think..."

"Please, Professor. Take Emma with you. Jean, Wolverine and I will guard the New Mutants' wing, and Warren, Betsy and Hank can guard the children's corridors. Evan, I want you outside Nate, Megan and Rachel's rooms, and Gambit, you and Rogue will stay here and make sure no harms comes to your family."

"_What_?" Rogue muttered, outraged, at the same time as Gambit spoke up, smirking.

"Sure, _mon ami_."

"This is ridi..."

But no one paid any attention to Rogue as everyone began to quickly file out of the room fast.

"_Logan!_"

"I'm with Shades this time, Rogue. You are already hurt, darlin, and I don't want you to suffer anymore."

"But..."

"There might not even be a fight, Rogue. We are just preparing for the worst," Logan said, and then gave Rogue one of his rare smiles...before frowning at her attire.

Logan began to take off his t-shirt, when Rogue noticed Storm hitch her breath at the sight of Logan's sculpted body. Rogue hid her smile, before turning to the white-haired mutant.

"Ah, no offense, Logan, but I'd rather have Ro's jacket over your shirt. Ro?"

"Uh, sure, Rogue," Storm murmured, blushing a little as she took off her black blazer and gave it Rogue.

It was Logan's turn to draw a sharp breath, as Ororo was wearing a very tight-fitting, low-neck pull over.

"Go, now. Hurry," Rogue urged, doing her very best not to burst out laughing.

Evan was behind Logan and Storm, but before he could move out the door, Rogue pulled him back.

"Hey, what?"

"_A man?_"

"Oh, that. It was nothing."

Evan tried to get away, but Rogue held on to his arm firmly.

"Evan?"

"Rogue."

"Evan, it better not be who I think it is," Rogue asked, sternly. Evan sighed.

"If you think it is Amanda, then yes, Rogue, it's her."

"Amanda? As it Amanda Sefton? Kurt's ex-girl friend?"

"How many other Amandas do you know?" Evan asked exasperatedly.

"Does Kurt know?"

"Yeah..."

"It's alright then, I guess," Rogue said, letting go of Evan.

"She was a bit upset today, what with Kurt preparing to..."

"She knows?" Rogue asked, shocked. Evan smiled sheepishly.

"I might have let it slip. Purely accidentally, of course."

"Of course."

"It just bugs her that Wanda's a witch, too. Like her," Evan murmured, somewhat unhappily. Rogue figured Evan liked Amanda more than he was letting on.

"Yeah," she replied. "Kurt and his witches."

Rogue and Evan both laughed at that.

"I better go now," Evan gave Rogue a kiss on her forehead. "Baby sitting duty calls."

"Right. I don't think Lilandra would actually inflict harm on anyone, but be prepared."

"Aye, aye, Captain."

Evan gave Rogue a salute, and then ran out of the door.

As Rogue turned around, the other blond woman, beside _Miss Ass-assin_, rose from her chair, looked sideways to smirk at Gambit, then extended her right hand towards Rogue.

"Hi, I don't believe we have formally met. I'm Mercy, Gambit's sister-in-law."

**A/N: Phew! Okay, I really don't know what this chapter was all about. I just felt like writing it, so I did. **

**Just know that it takes place the day before Gambit and Rogue start their one-on-one combat. **

**And yeah, I felt like pairing up the Professor as well. I mean, Lilandra is one of his love interests, but nowadays, whether in movies, cartoons or comics, the Professor doesn't get much screen time, much less his love life. So, yeah, in this story, the Professor has regular late-night rendezvous with the Princess Lilandra ;)**.

**Also, sorry for not having much Gambit-Rogue interactions in the last few chapters. I'm trying to get Rogue interested in him, hence the appearance of Bella Donna ;).**

**Now, it remains to be seen if the reaction Gambit get's from Rogue is a positive or negative one ;).**

**Once again, suggestions are welcome :). I loved the the few I got, and I'll incorporate them in the next chapter.**

**Thanks.**


	12. Gambit, the bathing suit, and the blond

**A/N: Hello ****:). So, I tried to get it out as early as possible for me. Once again, I wrote what I felt like. Doesn't probably make much sense, but you all know me :). Anyways, I was watching an old foreign song, and there was a particular scene that had caught my interest a long time ago. I had totally forgotten about it, but when I saw it today, I felt like incorporating something similar to this story. Here, it will serve as one of the reasons why Rogue is not taken with Gambit ****:).**

**Sweetcornbee: **Babes, thanks for your wonderful review. I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I'm not sure how the story will play out, but I'll try to keep you satisfied :).

**My Beautiful Ending: **Lilandra's really not important here. I just included her to show that the Professor had a healthy love life, too ;). As for Remy and Belle, well, their marriage was annulled, but as you will see in this chapter, the two still share a wonderful relationship – something our heroine might not like, though she will not admit it yet ;).

**So, here goes nothing.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the different worlds of X-Men.**

The weather was pretty nice, what with the sun deciding to come out for the day, and Gambit was found hanging around with his family in a corner of the vast X-mansion lawn. He was sitting on the grass, shirtless, as were the other men in his company – his older brother, Henri, and his three closest cousins - Emil, Etienne, and Theoren.

The only man to have kept his clothes on was their father and former Patriarch of the Thieves' Guild, Jean Luc LeBeau. He also considered it beneath him to sit on the grass, and was the only man sitting in one of the garden chairs, along with his daughter-in-law, Mercy LeBeau, and his ex-daughter-in-law, Bella Donna Boudreaux.

The group formed quite a striking picture, with their beauty and brawn, and would have made any lesser mortals jealous. Alas, they were in the house of the X-Men, where gorgeous faces and rippling muscles were like a secondary mutation of the occupants.

Still, they were covertly watched by a few, though most of the surrounding mutants ignored them, and just enjoyed the weather.

"We are being watched," Mercy spoke up, breaking the silence, amusement lacing her voice.

"Of course, we are, Merc," Emil, the joker of the group, laughed. "Did you not see how the youngsters reacted when they were told we belonged to the _Thieves' _and_ Assassins' Guilds_. They are probably waiting for us to steal something, or worse, murder someone."

"Err...maybe we should have hung around inside?" Etienne asked, looking around, somewhat panicked. "I don't particularly enjoy the idea of playing prisoner to the X-Men jailers."

Etienne was the youngest of the group, aged only twenty five, and had quite a nervous disposition.

"Etienne, my cousin," Theoren murmured, "I'll never understand how you ever earned the title of 'Thief'. You've got to be the world's biggest pansy that I've ever encountered."

Emil, burst out laughing, and Gambit too joined, especially when he saw the way his blond cousin was pouting.

"Enough!"

The command came from Henri, the oldest of the boys. Henri LeBeau was definitely not as skittish as Etienne Marceaux, nor was he a glorified court jester like Emil Lapin. He also didn't possess the charisma or cockiness of Theoren Marceaux, who was, of course, only in the second position in those attributes – the first place belonging to Gambit.

Gambit, or Remy, as he is known to his near and dear ones, also possessed a lot of other qualities that Henri didn't have, like arrogance, restlessness, and a talent to charm the panties off of any lady he set his eyes on. Not to forget, there was hardly any hair on his head either, unlike Remy's.

However, there was one thing Henri had, other than his Southern good looks and athletic body, that set him apart from the rest – his in-depth knowledge and experience of Guild politics. It was a lot of paper work, and was never near enough exciting as pulling off a successful heist, but _it _was what brought about the peace between the Thieves' and Assassins' Guilds, helped form the Unified Guild of New Orleans...and what made Bella Donna remove Gambit's exile from his hometown.

"_Chère, _I know you are a great observer," Henri said, turning towards his wife, "but let's not waste our time worrying about such trivial matters. I just want to enjoy the fact that thanks to a certain generous lady, my brother can finally come home now."

A round of applause was shared among the group, as all raised their drinks in honor of Bella Donna.

"Thank you, Henri, though frankly speaking, I'm getting a little tired of this. I mean, you all have shown me your appreciation enough times already."

Bella looked at Gambit then, and smiled sadly.

"In fact, I'm sorry that it took so long to remove your exile, Rem. But I couldn't really do anything until the leadership was passed on from _père_, and I was announced the Matriarch of the Assassins' Guild."

Gambit looked at the girl he had fallen in love with so long ago, and couldn't help feeling a burst of warmth inside him. He wasn't _in_ love with Bella Donna anymore, and he knew she didn't love him either, but the blond woman in front of him would always hold a special place in his heart. She _was_ his first love, after all.

"Belle, you have nothing to apologize for. And for what it's worth, _I'm_ sorry for any pain I ever caused you."

With that Gambit got on his knees, and pulled Bella Donna against his bare chest for a bear hug.

"Awww, how cute," Emil crooned, doing his best impersonation of a swooning, girl-like voice.

Everyone joined in the laughter that followed, including the stoic Jean Luc LeBeau himself, but it was Mercy that got everyone's attention.

"We are being watched..." Mercy said again, though the smile never left her plump lips.

"_Chère_..."

"...and I think it is Remy's newest love interest and her companions, though I'm not sure whether they are happy at what they are seeing, or not."

At Mercy's words, Gambit let go of the woman in his arms, and as Bella Donna slowly moved away, he, along with the other members in his group, tried to sneak a few glances at the gorgeous brunette known as Rogue.

She was found sitting in another corner of the lawn, along with two other girls – the purple-haired Psylocke and the petite Kitty Pryde. The three of them had laid a beach towel and seemed to be enjoying themselves pretty well.

Betsy was reading a fashion magazine while painting her nails at the same time, Kitty had an ipod in one hand with only one ear piece stuck in her ear, and Rogue had a book open in front of her, though it seemed more like a novel than a text book.

Though busy with their different activities, the three also seemed to be talking and laughing among themselves.

"I'm impressed," Theoren said lazily. "Never thought I'd ever see a gal who would not fall for your usual charm."

Theoren looked at his cousin, and grinned devilishly.

"Yeah, well," added Emil with a sly smirk, "it had to stop sometime, didn't it? Dear cousin is not getting any younger, after all."

Henri barked out a laugh.

"Ooh, I like hearing that," he said. "Remy had given me a lot of grief over that."

Gambit scowled at his cousins before turning to his older brother with a smirk.

"I wasn't referring to your age whenever I said you were getting old. I was talking about your bald head."

"Hey!" Henri gave a mock growl. "No poking fun at my hair."

"Or lack of it," supplied Jean Luc dryly.

"_Père,_" sighed Henri as the others burst out laughing.

"Well, if the _fille_ had not been so good-looking, I'm sure she would have been all over Remy by now," continued Jean Luc. "But looking as she does, and being an X-Men and all, I guess she has seen and been with plenty of men, _non_?"

"Oh, she'll fall for Remy, alright. That, _père_, I can guarantee you," Gambit murmured, looking in the direction of his Anna. "In fact, as Mercy said, I'll bet she's watching _moi_ now. By now, we all should know well about Mercy's sixth sense and that she's never wrong."

"Merc said _we_ were being watched, not you in particular," Bella Donna reminded. "Emil's right, you know. You are not getting any younger, Rem. Don't you think it's time to give up playing the field and settle down with a nice _fille_?"

Gambit looked at her and grinned.

"You volunteering, Belle?"

Bella Donna huffed.

"I've a husband and a daughter waiting for me back home. I only came with your family to personally let you know that your exile has been removed and you can come to New Orleans without fear of getting killed. I know _Tante_ Mattie would be really happy to see you."

"She would be even more happy if Remy brought home a girl," grinned Mercy, then looked in Rogue's direction. "Maybe you can help, Belle. Say, you still can't read what's going through her head?"

Bella Donna shook her head, frowning.

"No. As I said last night, there seems to be far too many things going on in her head. I can't make any sense of it. Then again, my psychic ability was never that strong. Remy's the full-fledged mutant here, not me."

"What are her powers, Remy?"

Henri was the one to ask, but everyone else had been curious to know too since they met the girl last night.

"From what I've learned, she's very strong, and...can fly."

"Really?" Etienne was awestruck. "Wow!"

Gambit laughed.

"There are quite a lot of mutants here who can fly, Et. It's nothing uncommon in this school. Stormy, for one, is very good at it."

"Hmm. Strong and can fly, where else you just blow stuff up. No wonder she's not impressed, Remy." Emil teased his cousin.

"Where else, dear cousin here simply can't take his eyes off her," added Theoren.

Gambit gave a mock sigh.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Yes," Bella Donna answered, smirking. "You have always like girls, but I've never seen you this infatuated with anyone. I mean, you used to be more discreet about such matters. Had it happened ten years ago, I'd have been really pissed."

"I just..." Gambit began, then shook his head. "I just don't know why she's taken such a dislike to _moi_. The first day we met, she simply stared at me, but after that...I don't know...it was as if she hated me for some reason. Can't figure out why."

As the group watched discreetly, three other girls, a blond and two brunettes, joined Betsy, Kitty and Rogue. They were Tabitha, Jubilee, and Amara, and they seemed to be coaxing the former three to do something.

The six of them got up then, Tabitha and Jubilee squealed, and all seemed to be taking off their clothes to reveal their bathing suit underneath. Gambit did notice what the rest were wearing, but it was Rogue's outfit that caught his attention.

It was a shiny, one piece, green swim wear with a lightening-shape cut out extending from the middle of Rogue's midriff and ending on her back.

"_Merde!_" Gambit muttered.

"Uh, I know she looks ravishing..." Theoren started, but didn't get far.

"I've met her before!"

"Of course, you have," Henri said, patiently, as if he was talking to a little boy. "You have joined the X-men now, and she's also..."

"No, no. Last year, I think. Yes, yes, near the end of last year."

"Remy?" Jean Luc asked, concerned about his youngest son's mental health as he saw Remy getting all flabbergasted and all.

Gambit tore his eyes off Rogue, and looked at his family.

"Remember the job I took about robbing a millionaire in the Caribbean last year?"

"Don't tell me," Bella Donna asked, "it was her family that you robbed?"

"No, no," Gambit muttered, scowling. "It was after I finished the job. Later on, you know. Thought I should have a bit of fun, seeing I was near the sand and the sea ."

"Not to mention, bikini clad ladies," Theoren smirked.

"Yeah, yeah..." Gambit looked back at Rogue, as he saw her splashing water in the pool with her friends. "Rogue was there. I remember that bathing suit clearly, and now that I look at her, there's no doubt in my mind it was her. I didn't recognize her when I first came here because she had dyed her hair back then. She was a blond."

"_Wait!_" Henri said, his eyes widening. "_She_ was the blond you couldn't shut up about on the phone, the one who thought you were blind?"

"She thought you were blind?" Mercy asked, her voice filled with incredulity.

Gambit grinned wolfishly.

"I was blatantly staring at her when I had seen her emerge from the sea like those sirens in the James Bond movies...and so were the few other _hommes_ who were present at the time. Saw her deck one guy who tried to get too close for comfort. So, being the genius I am, I put on my sun glasses and pretended to be blind. When she got near _moi_ and looked suspicious, I kept muttering 'bout how my brother left me all alone and went God knew where. She bought my story and let me hold her close while walking me to a life guard station."

"Remy, my man, you are a genius," Theoren murmured, before they all started laughing again. Except for Jean Luc.

"Well, seems like the joke's on you, _mon garcon_," said the wise, old man, "'cause she seems to be having the last laugh, _non_?"

R~G

Ororo strode out of the house and made her way towards Gambit and his family.

"I hope you are enjoying the weather," she said, smiling. "This is the best we get, I'm afraid."

"You don't need to apologize, Ororo. It's good to see my son again, and you have been very hospitable."

"Thank you, Jean Luc. Now, speaking about hospitable, it's almost lunch time. How would you all like it if I had the food served here?"

"That would be great, Stormy!"

"Remy? Don't call me Stormy," Ororo admonished, though she couldn't quite hide her smile.

"Awww, Stormy, you know you love it," Gambit grinned mischievously.

Ororo sighed.

"There's no winning with you, is there?"

"I should hope not!"

Ororo shook her head and looked away at the students who were lounging outside, making the most of the weather. She noticed that Rogue and Kitty had gotten out of the pool, as had Evan and Kurt. The four were already dressed in dry clothes, too.

Ororo called them over.

"Rogue, Evan, Kitty and Kurt, I'd appreciate it a lot if the four of you will help serve the food to our guests outside. I've already prepared their lunch."

"Sure," Kurt replied, and vanished with a BAMF.

Kitty started to cough.

"Kurt's really got to, like, stop doing that," she muttered.

"Aunty O," exclaimed Evan, "I just remembered I needed to...shave."

With that, Evan ran away as fast as he could. Ororo shook her head.

"Honestly, I don't know how that boy made it in the team."

Rogue laughed, the sound causing certain parts of Gambit's anatomy to tighten in anticipation.

"He's good when it comes to saving the world. Not so with household chores, I'm afraid."

"Hmm, guess you are right, Rogue."

"So, will you be joining our guests, too?"

"Yes, Ororo, eat with us. We don't get to see much of you otherwise. Remy tells us you are a busy woman," Jean Luc said.

"I'm sorry about that. Things are a bit hectic at the moment," the white-haired woman replied with an apologetic smile.

"Join us, Stormy. _Ma famille_ will be leaving this evening."

"So soon? Well, in that case, I guess I can spare an hour or two."

As Storm sat down, and Rogue went to get the food, Kurt reappeared with the appetizers. Kitty followed with the main course, with help from Dani and Tildie.

Gambit was glad that it wasn't Tabitha, Jubilee or Amara helping Kitty. He looked around and was greatly relieved to see the three girls had left the pool, too.

Suddenly, the sound of a motor bike disrupted them, and Ororo excused herself to go and check.

"So, who's the blue guy? Seemed to stand pretty close to your Rogue," smirked Theoren.

"That's Nightcrawler and he's Rogue's brother."

"Of course!" exclaimed Emil. "Why didn't I _figure out_ that before. I mean, the resemblance is uncanny. Anybody should have been able to tell right away."

Gambit rolled his eyes at his cousin, while some laughed.

"Kurt's her adopted brother. Remember Mystique? The blue she-devil of a mutant? That's Kurt's biological mother, who had adopted Rogue when she was a kid."

Henri whistled.

"Mystique's Rogue's mother? And that Nightcrawler guy's? But doesn't she follow the Magneto fellow, Charles Xavier's nemesis?"

"The Professor and Magneto were friends once... before their beliefs clashed. They still try not to fight each other directly, but from what I have gathered, Rogue and Kurt wouldn't mind taking a go at the guy, or rather, his second in command. The two hate their mother."

Ororo returned then, and she looked pissed off. Gambit was about to ask, when he saw Tabitha run out the back door and jump over the wall. The sound of a motor bike starting was heard again.

Rogue came out with extra drinks and dessert, and looked inquiringly at Storm.

"Was that John?"

"Yes," Ororo replied curtly, still looking annoyed. Rogue smiled, though, and there was a faraway look in her eyes.

"I miss him."

"I thought you two were still good friends," Storm asked, her annoyance momentarily forgotten.

"We are," Rogue smiled slightly. "But ever since John and Wanda broke up, and Kurt started dating her, he wanted me to spend more time with Wanda. Don't get me wrong, Wanda's great..."

"But while you gained a new friend, you almost lost an old one," Storm finished, kindly.

"Yeah," Rogue sighed, then brightened up. "But if he and Tabby are seeing each other, then maybe I'll get to see him more now."

"Rogue..."

"I sometimes wish he had never left."

"Rogue? He left, and that's the truth. Yes, we would have loved to have Pyro still with us, but he made his choice by siding with Magneto."

Rogue frowned.

"But they work for S.H.I.E.L.D now, all of them - John, Wanda, Lance, P...P-Pietro and even Fred and Todd."

Before Storm could reply, Kitty came bursting out the back door. Whether it was in hurry, or because she simply didn't think, the younger girl forgot that Ororo was there.

"Hey, Rogue. Has Tabs left?"

"Yeah. Why..."

"Oh, thank God. You wouldn't _believe_ what she proposed. Like, she wants us to don our Bayville Sirens costume _again_."

"_Kitty!_" exclaimed Rogue, then looked promptly at Storm, her eyes wide with apprehension.

"_You two were part of the **Bayville Sirens**? And Tabitha, too?_"

Kitty turned towards Storm and gave her a brilliant smile.

"Hi, Storm."

Then she looked back at Rogue and bowed her head, sighing.

"We are dead, aren't we?"

"Who else was in the group? Answer me. _Now!_"

"Bayville Sirens? What are _they_? Sounds like a chick-band to me," Kitty said, trying to get away from Ororo's wrath...especially as she saw the sky darkening.

Rogue rolled her eyes and then shook her head. She knew when it was useless to lie and the best bet was to just admit the truth.

"Kit, not now," she told the younger girl.

"_Well?_"

Rogue sighed.

"Amara and..."

"Amara? _Amara? _But she had just joined as then. _She was only thirteen_."

"Yes, Ro, and she was feeling out of place last year. New place, new school, and the beginning of her teen years. Not the best of time, especially when it turns out you are mutant, too. Trust _me_! Been there, done that."

"Plus, you don't know who the last member was. You'd be surprised. Tell her, Rogue," Kitty urged.

"Yeah, you are going to like this one," Rogue grinned slyly.

"Who was it?" Ororo asked, suspicious.

"Jean," Rogue and Kitty said together.

"_Jean?_ As in our Jean?"

"How many other Jeans do you know, Ro?" Rogue asked.

"Beside the ones we wear," Kitty added, then laughed. Storm was dumbstruck.

"But...but..."

"Ro, Amara was new and unsure of herself, Tabby wanted to help so she started it, I joined for the sheer fun I knew we were going to have, Rogue wanted to help now that she had control over her powers, and same with Jean as she was tired after the whole Phoenix thing and the love problems with Emma, Scott, her, and..."

"Logan. Yes, I know," sighed Ororo.

Gambit watched with fascination as he saw the women in front of him. He didn't listen much as his eyes were busy soaking in Rogue's appearance, but he did _hear_ a few words he liked – _sirens_ and _costume_ were two of them. Much better than hearing the wistfulness in his Anna's voice when she talked about 'John' or how she had stuttered when naming 'Pietro'.

Realizing there was a lull in the conversation, he decided to make the ladies aware of his and his family's presence.

"So, Stormy, can we have our sunny weather back?"

"What? Oh, yes. Yes, of course. Sorry about that."

"Did you hear that?" Rogue said suddenly, perking up. "It's Logan's bike. He's back from...well, wherever he went this morning."

Storm smiled.

"You can go and greet him, but remember, this conversation is not over yet."

"Oh, actually, I was thinking," Rogue began with a smile at the older woman. "Maybe...maybe you would like to go and see him first."

"But...Rogue? It's always you. You are always the first to open the door for him every time he returns from his outings."

"Yes, I know."

Rogue then pulled out the dog tag she always wore under her clothes.

"I believe him now. Logan gave it to the first time he left, and said he'll always come back as long as I had it. There was a time when I thought he was lying, but not anymore."

"I'm glad," Ororo smiled, and gave Rogue a brief hug. "Frankly, I'm tired of seeing the two of running away with the bad boys."

"What?"

"I...uh..."

"Seriously? You two couldn't find any boys other than Lance and Pietro?"

**A/N: Ugh! So, it appears we need to wait a little longer for the Rogue/Gambit DR fight scene. I tried, I really did, but it just wasn't coming to me ****:(. Plus, I wanted to use the whole Rogue/Pietro thing, too. I kind of liked how the two looked in Wolverine and the X-Men. I knew they were not together in that cartoon, but there was such a tension between the two. It wasn't sexual, of course, but I like to think it was ;).**

**Anyways, it was the longest chapter so far. Hope it made some sense in moving the story along.**


	13. Carol, jealousy, and the kiss

**A/N: Hello, ladies :). Yep, it's an update. As you might have noticed from my tone last chapter, I was _not_ happy with the previous chapter. It kept bugging me, a lot, hence I had to update. I get _so_ annoyed when these little birdies keep swirling in my head with tit bits of scenes and ideas. It's really frustrating. Hence, I had to abandon all my other work, and type this chapter out.**

**Hopefully, I'll be able to have some peace when this chappy here is over. Or else, I'll be royally pissed :!**

**Sweetcornbee**: Babe, what can I say, you are one of the best :). I hope I'm not giving you a whip lash with the different directions the story keeps running, but it's the only fan fiction I've started writing without having an outline first. I want to bring Rogue and Gambit closer, but somehow the two manage to slip away. Slippery characters, those two ;). So yeah, Rouge sometimes go blond. I know it's hard to believe, but I'll try and explain why it happens in this chapter. Hope you will like it.

**My Beautiful Ending: **Wow Wow Wow. I don't believe this! I thought I was being sneaky. You will see what I mean as you read this chapter. All the same, I'm amazed. Keep it up, love ;).

**GypsyWitchBaby: **Glad you liked Rogue and Gambit's unofficial first meeting :). Being honest, it wasn't my idea. It was the one I stole from a foreign song I mentioned last chapter. I thought the whole idea was very cute, so I put it in this story. 'Cause you know, it seemed like something Gambit would do ;).

**So, let's see if we can take a sneak peek at what's really going on in Rogue's mind. This chapter will be in Rogue's POV.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the different worlds of X-Men!**

_Would anyone notice if I took Emma's pristine white chiffon scarf and gagged Kitty?_

_Would anyone notice if I smashed Logan and Ro's face together, and refused to let go until the two kissed each other thoroughly and got the palpable sexual tension out of the way?_

_Would anyone notice if I threw the jug full of water in Bitchy Donna's face, and then broke the said jug on her swollen head?_

I groaned silently and covered my eyes with one gloved hand, hoping that no one would notice my discomfort as they continued to eat their dinner.

The day was turning into a nightmare.

It had all started to go downhill after the fiasco this afternoon. As Ororo had gone off to greet Logan, Kitty had noticed Pete coming out of the back door of the mansion and got lost in one of her trances.

"Excuse me," Miss _Ass_-assin had began with a cruel smile, "the drinks have gotten quite warm. Could we have some ice?"

I had turned and narrowed my eyes at her.

_Yeah, she had forgotten to say the magic word._

That was when I had noticed the smirk on the faces of the three stooges that were apparently _Mr Gambit_'s cousins. The other blond woman, too, was openly staring at me with amused eyes, probably waiting for me to fly off the handle or something.

_Yeah, right. Like I would give them the satisfaction. If they wanted entertainment, they should have gone and visited the circus_.

So I had given them all a sickeningly sweet smile, one very uncharacteristic of me and one that I hoped would never grace my features again, and called out to our very own ice manufacturer.

"Bobby!"

I had hollered pretty loud, and Bobby knew better than to disregard my call. He _had_ watched my session with Logan, after all. As I had expected, the boy was before me within seconds.

"Yes, Rogue. What can I do for you?"

"Our _guests_ would like to have some ice with their drinks. Think you can manage?"

"You bet! It's what I do best."

Needless to say, Blondie#1 was not pleased, though Blondie#2 seemed like she enjoyed my reaction.

My victory, however, was short-lived. For it seemed, Mr-Not-Really-Blind also enjoyed my interaction with his arm candy.

_Oh yeah! This I knew for sure. Devil Eyes had definitely figured out that we had met before. I had seen his reaction when I had revealed my bathing suit. I had deliberately chosen that particular green piece, after all._

While I was busy getting annoyed at the situation Ro had left me in, the whole serving our guests thing, I didn't realize that Kitty was fuming too – until I could actually _hear_ her gritting her tooth.

I frowned at her, and saw that she was staring daggers at something over my shoulder.

I had thought things were bad before, but when I followed Kitty's gaze, I knew that the situation had just gotten worse.

Pete had brought a friend...a very tall, voluptuous, blond friend, one that was whispering in his ear while her hands roamed all over his chest.

_What was it with men and blonds with big-boobs, anyways?_

"WE. ARE. GOING. OUT. NOW!" Kitty had shrieked right in front of my face. "I. HAVE. A. DATE. WITH. LANCE – THE SEX MACHINE."

I had never seen Kitty so enraged, nor have I ever heard such dirty words escape her mouth. To say that I was speechless would be an understatement. I was so shocked that I didn't even feel it when Kitty had dragged me away and we were on our way to the Brotherhood mansion.

_Now only if my worries had ended there._

But did they? Hell, no!

Wanda and Kurt were out on a date, as were John and Tabitha. The Brotherhood mansion, hence, housed only Fred, Todd and Lance.

I was a nervous wreck the whole time I was there. Kitty had disappeared into Lance's room, and only God knew what the two did, for I heard the most disturbing sounds coming from there. But what worried me most was the thought of running into a certain white-haired mutant.

Hence, as soon as the clock read six, I dragged Kitty back to the X-mansion, citing dinner and my up-coming DR session as the excuses.

Kitty didn't protest too much, and looked quite happy with herself. It was not her usual bubbly-kind of happiness, but more like an evil grin had been plastered across her face. That in itself was cause to worry, but I was too busy relishing the fact that I didn't run into Pietro, and that by the time we got home, all the Blondies would be gone, too.

Alas, no such luck.

Apparently, the _Swamp Rat_ had been away from his family too long, so the Professor had invited them all to stay for a week. The father of the clan had declined, as did the cousins, citing business emergency.

Hence, I knew I'd be stuck eating dinner with Blondie#1 and 2, and their respected male companions. As if that was not bad enough, I realized Carol had taken over me sometime during the time it took to get back from the Brotherhood mansion and appearing at the dinner table.

_How did I know?_

My outfit.

Wearing a dark grey, tight-fitting, skinny jeans was nothing unusual for me, nor were the black military boots. Never, though, did I ever wear to dinner any t-shirt that would reveal half of my boobs.

Apparently, Carol thought it would be a wonderful idea to dress me in a grey fitting t-shirt with a cowl neck, _without_ a boob top inside. Thankfully, though, there was a cyan blue rose printed on the front of the said t-shirt, with a silver dagger piercing its heart.

Anyone who knew me well, knew that _green_ was my chosen color, just like my hair was auburn, save the white streak. I didn't mind wearing clothes of other shades, and even experimented high-lighting my hair while in college. However, there were two things I didn't do willingly – I _never _wore anything blue, nor did I ever dye my hair blond.

_Those were Carol's colors_.

We were not friends, despite the fact that her soul lived within me and her comatose body resided in a restricted section of Hank's med lad, along with Jean's clone. I was the only person allowed to visit that lab, along with Hank, Jean, Logan and the Professor.

I took her flowers every day, hoping that one day she would wake up. The Carol inside me knew that, and that was probably the only reason why she didn't take over my mind anymore. Of course, it might have had something to do with the intense therapy I had had with Jean and the Professor for almost two years, nearly three years ago.

Still, that didn't mean Carol didn't mess with me every now and then. Usually, it was when she thought she needed to take over for me for my own good.

It was in occasions such as those that I'd find myself either wearing something blue, or going off the deep end and actually dying my hair blond. The blond hair thing had happened exactly four times in the five years since I had absorbed Carol - the last one being around the time I had first met _Mr-Pretending-to-be-blind._

At least, I was myself when I had met the _Swamp Rat_. Knowing the blond inside me, Carol would have probably thrown herself at the man, blind or not. Hell, even I had found myself wishing the man had good eye-sight when I first met him.

I wondered what Carol was thinking when dressing me today. Well, at least, she had been considerate enough to make me wear the gloves. If she had been successful in taking over my mind without me being aware of it, there was a very good chance I might absorb someone without intending to.

My appearance at the dinner table had certainly caused quite a stir.

It seemed Kurt wasn't back from his date, and that Evan had gone out with Amanda, too. Warren and Betsy were attending a charity event thrown by Worthington Industries and Hank apparently was busy with a new experiment, so would not be joining us. That meant there were five empty chairs at the dining table – chairs occupied by Pete, his sister Illyana, and Swamp Rat's three guests.

"What the..."

Logan had started when he saw my attire, but immediately shut up when he noticed the cyan rose.

Our _fearless leader_, though, wasn't so tactful.

"Carol, how many times do we need to tell you to dress properly," came the confident voice. Scott seemed really proud of himself for being able to distinguish between us. I rolled my eyes at him.

_I couldn't believe I actually had a crush on that guy. Was it really because of him that I had joined the X-Men in the first place?_

"Scott!" Jean admonished, nudging him.

"What?"

"Green eyes, Scott. Do look carefully before jumping to conclusions."

Yeah, that was another thing that always happened. While she actually needed to dye my hair blond, but every time Carol took over, my eyes would automatically turn blue. It didn't happen when I consciously used her powers, but whenever I had these memory lapses because Carol was invading my mind, I'm told by eyes would change from a fiery green to twinkling blue.

"But..."

"Apparently, she didn't hang around for long. I only realized it when I saw my clothes as I was making my way over to here. Figured I'd be late for dinner if I went to change. Didn't realize, though, that we still had company."

Ro, as always, was worried about these impromptu visits my blond _mind-mate_ always made.

"Rogue, if Carol is still..."

"Can we not have this conversation _now_? I'm really hungry."

And that was how I came to be in this situation, eating dinner with some real eccentric company. The X-Men were not always so bad, but today seemed special. For the first time, Scott and Jean seemed like the normal ones occupying the table.

Then again, they probably were.

Nobody ever called Wolverine _normal_, and ever since she had developed feelings for him, Ro started to act pretty pathetic, too – like blushing. Yeah, she started blushing as Logan forgot all about my _inappropriate_ clothes, and began giving Ro his version of a _seductive_ grin.

_Ewww!_

The Professor had already finished his food and left.

Emma divided her time between eating, checking her appearance at the mirrored show piece on the wall opposite her, and smirking condescendingly at me.

Pete spent the entire time he ate looking down. Either my big friend figured out that Kitty was upset with him and, hence, felt ashamed, or there was something really wrong with his crotch.

Kitty, on the other hand, completely ignored Piotr and talked animatedly to his younger sister. It was as if she was trying to prove that there were other Russians than Pete who were far better company.

_Did she realize that the two Rasputins were siblings? Did she realize that Magik was only 12? Did she realize what rubbish she was uttering? Did she realize how loudly she was speaking?_

God, but I should really save my best friend from further humiliation. And I would have too, if it had not been for Blondie#1.

From the moment I had entered the dining room, she had been out to make a spectacle of me. She did everything in her power to irritate me, where else Blondie#2 watched in amusement, even if her husband appeared uncomfortable. The _Swamp Rat_, of course, was busy enjoying being fawned over.

Blondie#1 had started with looking me up and down.

_Did she think I was showing cleavage for the rat beside her?_

When everyone started talking about Carol, Miss Big Boobs tried to read my mind.

_Huh! Like she would ever succeed. The two people so far who had been able to make sense of what went on in my head were the Professor and Jean. Even then, too, they had to touch my head to get a good reading._

And then Blondie did the unthinkable and started to really piss me off by being all over the Swamp Rat.

God, but could she be any more obvious?

_Didn't she figure out that I knew that the Swamp Rat checked me out every time he laid his eyes on me? Didn't she figure out that I was not interested, hence trying to get me jealous wouldn't work? Didn't she figure out that I really hated people who thought they could manipulate me?_

A bitch-fight would only get me in trouble, and amuse the Swamp Rat, so I figured the best course of action would be to finish my food quickly and leave.

I did exactly that.

"So, I'm done. I'll see you all later."

"We've a DR session in about an hour, _chéri_."

_God, but I hated that smile, that voice, that face...th-they made feel things that I did not wish to feel._

Worse of all, I think the Swamp Rat knew it. Well, two could play at this game.

"I haven't forgotten, _Sugar_."

Thank God Kitty interrupted. I was not entirely sure how to deal with a bunch of dropped jaws, especially Logan's.

"That's a great idea, Rogue. Let's hang out together until you have to go for practicing."

"Uh, Kit..."

But the girl completely ignored me and went on in her most exuberant voice.

"You are my _best-est_ friend, Rogue."

"Thanks?"

"And we really haven't spent much time together since we got back from college."

"_Huh? _But we are always..."

I was cut off as Kitty turned to Magik with a bright smile - one that she had been sporting all evening, one that made the mid day sun look like a rusty coin.

"Illy, you'll _love_ Rogue's room."

_Illy?_

"She's got, like, a really cool collection of clothes, plenty of make-up, gorgeous accessories, and oh boy, you should see her _lingerie_ drawer."

"Kit!"

I practically yelled, my eyes wide with embarrassment. The X-Men were shocked at Kitty's disclosure, though the guests seemed to enjoy themselves.

Kitty, though, was unfazed.

"You know what, Rogue? _Lance_ will _love_ seeing your collection."

"_What?_"

I could practically feel Logan growling, as I tried to make sense of my usually-sensible friend.

"So, tomorrow we are going shopping, okay? I really need some new _lingerie_. You know, for _Lance_."

That was when I understood. Kitty was trying to make Pete jealous.

"No, you don't," growled Logan, as he got up from his chair and faced Kitty. "Avalanche is not going to be anywhere near you while you are in your...err, while you are not properly dressed. In fact, Avalanche is not going to be anywhere near you. Period."

"_Why not?_" asked Kitty, her face contorted with rage. "Lance is my _boyfriend_. I love his _looks_, his _huge muscles_..."

_Oh yes, Kitty was definitely trying to make Pete jealous, and from the look on his face, it seemed to be working, too._

"You will not see Alvers anymore," Logan growled with finality.

"You can't tell me who I can see or not. You didn't interfere with Rogue's love life, and you will not do so with mine either."

_Uh oh. Kitty just brought me into this. It couldn't turn out good._

"Rogue broke up with Quicksilver over a year ago!"

"Well, what about the succession of men she had dated after that? Did you know she promised to date a different man every month for her last year of college, and actually did..."

"Kit!" I interrupted, before Logan decided I was the better target. "You are right, we haven't spent enough time together. Let's do so _now_!"

With that I dragged Kitty out of the room as fast as possible.

R~G

"You know, _chéri_, I think I like you better with your natural hair color than the fake blond one."

I whirled around at the sound of his voice. The Swamp Rat was leaning against the door of the Danger Room, his usual cocky grin in place.

"Finally figured it out, did you?"

As I expected, he completely avoided the topic by talking about something else entirely.

_Yeah, Swamp Rat didn't like admitting he had been made a fool of._

"You are early, I see. Couldn't wait to see me?"

"You wish, Swamp Rat!"

"Oh, I do," By now Gambit was standing in front of me, and leaned down slowly as he whispered. "And I wish for so much more."

I smirked.

"Keep your distance, Sugar. You've no idea what I'm capable off."

"No powers, remember, _chère_?"

"Why? You afraid?"

By now, we had started circling each other languidly. I should have been tired from the day's excitement, but I wasn't. I simply couldn't wait to see his reaction when Gambit realized what my real power was.

"Gambit is not afraid of anything, _mon amour_."

"I'm not your 'love', Sugar. So squish that thought right away."

Gambit laughed.

I wondered whether he was trying to distract me. We were still waiting for an opening to attack each other, after all.

"What's so funny, Swamp Rat?"

"You, _chère_. You are _mine_, and you don't even know it yet. Denial doesn't suit you, you know."

"Why, you presumptuous..."

I couldn't control my anger, so I lashed out at him by lunging for him. He easily deflected me by moving away in the last second, and I went bodily skidding on the smooth floor of the DR.

"Lesson number one, _chéri_ - don't go for the obvious kill. Your opponent will be expecting that."

I was still on the floor, and began formulating my new move as I saw Gambit coming towards me. As he came near enough, I swung out one leg, intending to throw him down on his back.

As if he expected it, he jumped up and reached my other side, tackling me from behind.

"Lesson number two – try to keep an element of surprise, instead of pulling the same age-old moves. It's damn predictable."

"Let go of me," I gritted out as he held my hands behind my back with his, and swung one leg over both of mine to prevent me from moving away, or kicking his butt.

_I should have gotten up when I had the chance._

"Can't, _chéri_," Gambit whispered in my ear. "For what I plan to do with your sweet, delectable, body, we need to be very very close. Preferably, without these clothes."

That was it. My temper had reached its peak, and even without intending to, I had brought forth Carol's power, and flung Gambit across the room.

"_DON'T. TOUCH. ME_."

I had expected him to be lying all battered and bruised. Instead, the rat got up in one swift move, and laughed at me.

"Not much without your powers, are you, _chère_?"

"_You filthy, rotten..._"

Suddenly, I found myself falling on my back with a loud _thawk_, and Gambit was lying on top of me, blocking my arms and legs.

"Lesson number three – _never_ lose your focus. A champion doesn't win a fight with anger, but with cool logic."

I tried to move again, but to no avail.

"And now that I've you where I want you..."

Gambit didn't finish his sentence as he swooped down and captured my lips with his.

His lips were not gentle, nor was the kiss tender. It was a hungry kiss, as Gambit forcefully parted my mouth and tangled his tongue with mine.

A part of me wanted to fight back and tear my mouth away from his, but another part wanted to let him take control and abandon myself in his mercy.

I chose the later...until I felt the mouth on mine curve into a smile.

_He thought he had won, did he?_

Well, it was time to reveal the truth, I guess.

I relaxed my body and let Gambit take charge, and just as he was about to get comfortable and claim victory, I let my power of absorption rise to the surface of my skin.

**A/N: I did it ;). Finally, the DR scene's out! Not sure how it turned out, though. Now, things will get a bet mysterious from the next chapter. Yeah, I know, I know. Promised no mystery, but apparently, it's what I like best. From the next chap, the 'evil seduction' will begin.  
**


	14. And so it begins

**A/N: I'm back, sweeties ;). Ain't I pretty cool? I mean, it has not even been two days since I last updated. You all should love me some more ;). So yeah, it took me 14 chapters to get to the 'evil seduction'. Yes, ladies, this chapter is where all the game begins. Now, I promised no mysteries, but apparently, I'm a sucker for it. Hence, yeah, you have to keep guessing ;). You'll know what I mean when reach the end of the chapter. Don't cheat, though. Read from the beginning.**

**Sweetcornbee:** Babes! Glad you liked the last chapter. Your opinion means _a lot_ to me. I hope I did justice to the whole Rogue-being-blond thing. I know you like ROMYness, but not much here, I'm afraid. Still, I think you will like the ending ;).

**My Beautiful Ending: **Yes, you are, love :). So, I'd love to hear what you think of this one. Any guesses what's going on?

**tfobmv18: **It's good to hear from you again, darlin. Don't worry, I plan on making an honest man out of Remy ;).

**GypsyWitchBaby: **Hmm, I know I didn't mention it the last time, but I really like your pen name. Gives me a weird, tingly feeling. Anyways, back to the story. Yes, you are absolutely right. Remy's a total dick. So, of course, Rogue's gonna make him work for it ;). It's not so easy to win our Rogue's heart, is it?

**Demon Flame:** True, but I think you will find that it's Rogue who's going to be the surprised one ;). Anyways, hope you like this chapter, as the real mystery begins here.

**So without further ado, let us begin. Remember, it's from Rogue POV.  
**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the different worlds of X-Men.**

I smiled slightly with grim satisfaction as raw, pulsing, undeniable lust began to slowly seep through the barriers of our skins and invade my ever-occupied mind.

I waited with baited breath for _his_ psyche to take complete form, and add yet another voice to an already-cluttered mind.

I even expected the widened eyes, though the whole red on black was something new, that were staring down at me as I opened my own ones.

What I _didn't_ expect, though, was for his partial psyche to disintegrate in a puff of violet smoke and leave an empty place in its place in the bizarre land that was my mind.

Devil Eyes, the name I realized I liked better than the _Swamp Rat_ I threw around now and then when addressing him, got up from above me suddenly, looking a little startled.

I'd have smirked at his reaction, it was one I usually got unless my victim had completely passed out, if I wasn't already confused by what had just occurred in the dark recess of...well, my mind. _What else._

And then the rat actually did the unthinkable – he grinned.

_The nerve of him!_

"_You_ are the Leech?" Said rat asked, somewhat astonished.

"What?"

_Yeah, I know, not a great comeback. In Kitty's words: I like, totally, blame my momentary disorientation for it._

"Poison Touch? Killer Kiss? _The Untouchable One?_" Mr Devil Eyes offered in what I'm sure he considered to be helpful. He even pulled the whole sympathetic look down to a T, like I was some kindergartener who had lost her memory and had no idea who she was.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

_So the Swamp Rat has heard about me, has he?_

"I have heard about you," he grinned.

Guess that answered _that_ question.

"Waaaaay to state the obvious, _Sugar_. Question is how, and where?"

I knew for a fact that Logan had not disclosed our powers to him. The Wolverine wanted Devil Eyes to find out for himself what he was taking on.

Since he had been present in the CR when Kitty, Kurt, Evan and I took on Logan, it was natural to assume that he had figured out the other three's powers. I, on the other hand, had been using Carol's power, not my real ones.

Then again, he was well acquainted with Ororo, so she might have told him. Even Scott might have disclosed the information, though the two didn't seem to get along well. The Swamp Rat didn't seem to like Warren either.

"I'm a mutant, _ch__ère_," grinned the smug bastard, "I keep track of other notable ones."

I raised one haughty eye-brow.

"_Notable Ones?_"

"Life has been good to me, but that doesn't mean I hadn't experienced my share of horror," the smile faltered a little her. "I was trying to take care of a little girl when the events surrounding the Apocalypse took place. I heard about the mutant who had borrowed the powers of a small boy as a last resort to save the world. Guess that was you?"

"Yeah, yeah. The thing is, though, how come I didn't absorb _you_?"

This really baffled me. As far as I knew, no one was immune to my powers. Even Dorian, who negated all other mutants' powers, was unable to affect me.

Devil Eyes grinned.

_God, but how I hated that satisfied smirk!_

"Guess you didn't hear 'bout my powers, huh, _ch__ère_?"

"You blow stuff up. Big deal! _Very impressive_. Like I never saw that before," I huffed, crossing my arms below my chest and tilting my hips.

_Never cower before the opposition...Always make a firm stand..._

Scott's voice filled my mind.

Guess the Boy Scout's advices were not completely useless. Gambit sighed, and raised one hand in surrender.

"_Ch__ère_, let this be another lesson – never underestimate your enemy. I'm not saying that my powers are greater than yours, but...yes, trust _moi_ when I say that you haven't seen anything like my powers before. I don't control fire like your friend Pyro, or..."

"I've another friend, Sunfire. He can actually _produce_ fire..."

"...I use potential energy and turn it into kinetic energy, hence charge things up to a point where they blow off."

_Huh?_

I never heard of such a thing before. The confusion must have been obvious from the expression on my face, for Gambit continued with his story.

"I manipulate energy, _ch__ère_, meaning I have the ability to play with it. Of course, it comes in handy that I can _produce_ the said energy."

At this point, the rat grinned lasciviously.

"And _that_ is why you can't absorb _moi_. You absorb what I _automatically produce_ 24/7. It is also the reason why I've a high metabolism rate, and pretty good healing factor."

I was aghast.

"You can heal _fast_? Like Logan?"

"_Non_, not as fast as the Wolverine, but enough that I was able to get back up when you threw me down awhile ago."

I had completely forgotten about that in my rage.

Just then, a calm and collected female voice announced the end of the hour. The DR computer.

"Guess that means our session has come to an end. You wouldn't consider hanging around for a little while longer, would you, _ch__ère_?" As I narrowed my eyes at him, he smirked.

"Pity. Well, see ya tomorrow then," Devil Eyes said as I began to walk out.

"Whatever."

R~G

"So, you two have finally decided to return home," Ororo said with a smile. "Just missed dinner, I'm afraid."

"Oh, it's okay, Ro, we had dinner outside," replied Kitty with false exuberance. "Boy, but we had such an _awesome_ time today."

I stood at the doorway of the dining room, noticing our guests still at the table. Instead of entering further, I decided to lean against the door frame. The day had been exhausting, but they usually were when one went shopping with either Betsy, Kitty or Jubilee.

Thankfully, it was only Kitty I had to accompany today.

Tabitha, Jubilee and Amara brought in all the bags that Kitty was unable to drag in from Jean's car. We had borrowed it today. I didn't help – carrying about twenty different bags the whole day while Kitty dragged me from one shop to another was torture enough.

"So, what did you guys get?" Jubilee asked excitedly.

_Yipeeeeeeeeee!_

Yeah, this was the moment Kitty was waiting for. The chance to show others the skimpy dresses and the obscenely miniscule lingerie she bought for _Lance_ while _Pete_ was still in the room.

I could feel a headache coming, and wondered whether I should lie down for a while before my session with Devil Eyes, but Kitty had saved my back enough times in the past, hence I owed it to her to ensure that she didn't make a complete fool out of herself.

_"Oh my God!"_

Two different voices rang out, though each conveyed a completely different emotion. In truth, the exact words were _Oh my gosh_, uttered by an uber hyper Jubilee, and _Oh my Goddess_ voiced by a shocked Ororo.

"Isn't it simply _sexy_?" Kitty asked her audience with completely fake enthusiasm, as she held up a tiny red dress. "_Lance_ will _love_ it!"

"_Dress?_ Kitty, that looks like what Emma would wear to bed, and she wear _bustiers_ when taking classes!"

"_Hey!_ Rogue has a similar one in black, and _she_ wore it during a sorority party in college!"

I knew this was coming. Last night, I wasn't prepared, but today I had time to brace myself. Plus, it really helped that Logan wasn't around.

"If it's any consolation, I was the one _overly_ dressed in that party...by the time it ended, that is. The rest were passed out on the floor – naked," I said, turning towards Ororo.

"I'm having a hard time imagining you in it, _Tigresse_," murmured one _stinky rat_, "but I admit that _Roguey_ would look perfectly comfortable in it."

I was about to make a scathing remark, but then noticed Blondie#1 and 2 looking expectantly at me.

_So, they're expecting me to retaliate, huh? SO not giving them the satisfaction!_

"Ro? Are the kids back? I thought I heard the Half-Pint squeak." Logan's gruff voice could be heard from the third floor. "Damn, but it gets hard to smell them out when they wear these annoyingly sweet, floral perfumes!"

"I'm coming, Logan," Ororo rushed out, but turned towards Kitty as she reached me near the door. "Wolverine will chop Lance into tiny little pieces if he _ever _sees those clothes on you, Katherine Pryde."

"Hey, like, no need to say the full name."

"Or _you!_" Ororo scowled at me as she walked out.

I sighed. Time to get Kitty out of here or we'd _both_ be in a lot of trouble. Just as I was about to march towards Kitty, Emma elbowed me out of the way and sauntered in.

Kitty had already turned towards her captive audience and fished out a two-piece golden bikini from one of the shopping bags.

"What about _these_? I'm planning to wear them tomorrow. _Lance_ is coming over, and we are going to spend some _quality_ time in the pool, if you know what I mean," Kitty said conspiratorially, with an exaggerated wink at the other three girls.

_Seriously, you would think the way she kept emphasizing Lance's name, someone would catch on to her true intentions._

I really hoped it would be Pete, but apparently not.

"Oh please, Katherine."

Yeah, Emma knew how to annoy Kitty, alright.

"Let's stop all this pretense and come clean, shall we?"

_Uh oh, not good. Not good at all._

"You haven't...OUCH!"

Yep, I bumped into her from behind, and subtly pulled one of her high-heeled leg out with one of mine. She lost her balance, and went tumbling down like Humpty Dumpty. Not very creative on my part, but it was the only efficient way to shut her up before Kitty's secret got out, and my best-friend decided to live her whole life hiding behind a big rock.

"Oops! Did I hurt you, _Ms Frost_?"

"You...you _broke_ my nose!"

"_Oh please, Emma_," Kitty said, mimicking the telepath, now that she knew her secret was safe. "That wasn't _real_. You had a nose job done recently."

"Along with certain other_ assets_," piped in Tabitha.

"Not that they helped, considering Scott's still as devoted to Jean as ever," Jubilee added, while Amara burst into giggles.

"Really, you shouldn't prey on younger men."

I shot Tabby a dirty look at that. Kurt was dating Wanda, and she was two years older than him.

Hank entered the room just then, and immediately we all stiffened.

"Emma, are you alright?" asked the big guy as he saw Emma still clutching her nose. She looked at me, and I sighed.

Logan will probably make me wash the Blackbird for the whole of next year – after we returned from our missions.

"Yes, yes I'm fine, Hank. Did you need me for anything?"

To say that we were all surprised would be an understatement, but the blond psychopath...err telepath didn't look back at any of us, so it was hard to tell what she was playing at.

"Well, yes, Jean wanted to see you. We are both down at the med-lad in Madelyne Pryor's bedside."

"Let's go, then."

With that, Emma followed Hank out.

"What the..."

"Oh, never mind, Jubilee. Let's all go to Rogue's and my room. Rogue, come on."

Kitty picked up some of her shopping bags and made her way out of the room, as did Tabitha, Jubilee and Amara. I was about to join them, when Pete caught my arm.

"You shouldn't have done that to Emma, Rogue, and you should have told Hank the truth. You are one of my best friends, and I've always respected you for your sense of honesty."

"I did it for you, Pete, because trust me, you are not ready to hear the truth."

Pete was shocked enough to let go of my arm, and I used the opportunity to get away.

"Is...is it about Kitty and..."

"Lance? Yes, yes it is."

I knew Pete got the wrong impression, that he thought I meant Kitty preferred Lance over him. But I didn't bother to correct him, in the hopes that Kitty's plan would work and jealousy would actually make Pete take some action, instead of him watching stoically from the side lines. Maybe then the whole drama would stop.

R~G

_Rogue inhaled deeply as the exotic smell assailed her nose. It was a scent she couldn't associate with anything she knew, and yet it was so captivating that Rogue found herself wishing to follow it as it seemed to disappear away._

_As Rogue tried to move, however, she found herself being restrained. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more it seemed that she was incapable of movement._

_Rogue tried to see what it was that was preventing her from using her limbs, but discovered that she also couldn't see. Her eye lids felt far too heavy, just as her arms and legs seemed like dead weights that refused to get up from the satin sheets of her bed._

_At least she was comfortable, and the fragrance that she had smelled before seemed to come nearer again._

_Rogue then felt a weight settle on top her – not too heavy, nor too light, just enough pressure to let her know there was someone with her._

_Someone._

_A person._

_She was about to inquire who was there beside her while she was still in bed, sleeping or at least trying too, when she felt a warm breath fanning her face. _

_It was night time, Rogue knew, and the only other person who could be in her room at this time was Kitty._

_That idea, however, was nipped in the bud when Rogue felt a pair of moist lips cover her own ones. The presence evoked such erotic feelings within her that she found herself automatically parting her lips to grant his tongue access into her mouth._

_The kiss was hot and wet, and Rogue felt a tingling sensation starting in her stomach and ending near her feminine core. Her upper body seemed to rise of its own volition, arching at the hips, and met with a bare, rock-hard, perspiring abs._

_Her nipples peaked into tight buds and rubbed against his muscled chest through the thin material of her smooth, silk negligee. _

_His mouth left hers, and she inhaled a much needed breath, as his lips trailed wet kisses from her face to down her neck. He began to suck on the sensitive spot that joined her neck to her shoulder, and her lower body couldn't control itself any longer as it rose and began to rub her womanhood, hard and fast, against the huge bulge in his pants._

_Her toes curled in anticipation as she felt the orgasm threatening to take over her body._

_When she went finally went over the edge, her body free falling down a steep cliff, she thought she felt a sharp pain on her neck, like someone had made two punctures on her pale skin._

**A/N: How was it?** **I was planning on writing the italics part in more graphic details from next chapter.** **Would that be alright with you gals? Do let me know.**

**P.S. I didn't come up with the whole 'how Remy's able to touch Rogue' idea. I believe I read something similar in some fan fiction. Same for the names 'Poison Touch', 'Killer Kiss', 'The Untouchable One'. I'm not sure about 'Devil Eyes'. I think it's mine, but I could be wrong. Just wanted to let you all know that plagiarizing is not my intention. Anyways, I personally prefer the 'Devil Eyes' over 'Swamp Rat', just like I like 'Killer Kiss' best :).  
**


	15. Vampire dreams

**A/N:  
**

**Sweetcornbee: **Hey, girl :D. Kitty will continue to provide vital portion of the drama, but things will get kind of complicated for her in the future. And since you liked the ending, I'll take that as permission to get things more kinky in the future ;). Once again, I love hearing your views.

**My Beautiful Ending: **Once again, correct :D! Yep, this was what I had in mind originally when I had seen those pictures. But how are they related? Because trust me, there are no vampires in this story. What can I say, I just love mysteries ;).

**tfobmv18: **Nope, Gambit is not a vampire, and neither is anyone else ;). So, what's going on? I wish I could tell you, but then there would be no story at all. Hope you don't mind, and hope you like this chapter too :D.

**Demon Flame: **You are right, I should put more Bella Donna and Rogue interaction. What's the use of having her otherwise, right ;)? So, hopefully, it will mean there will be a lot more ROMY too :D (but from the next chapter).

**Now, this is not a big chapter, because the point I was trying to make here is that Rogue has another dream. Again, the chapter is from Rogue POV.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the different worlds of X-Men.**

"Okay, Stripes, spill," Logan said in his usual gravel voice, as he cornered me after lunch.

"Huh?"

"See, this is exactly what I'm talking about. Since when do you act all confused and stupid?"

I sighed. I had hoped no one had noticed the change in me.

"Are you drunk? I don't smell any alcohol on you, but it would explain why you seem all spaced out and everything."

"If those were our two main concerns, me acting all glazed and you not being able to sniff things out, I'd say you've got the bigger problem, _Dad_."

"_Very funny_," Logan growled, "but in case you forgot, _kid_, I don't like jokes."

I sighed, again. God, but I was doing that a lot today.

"Just tired, Logan. Didn't get much sleep last night," I said in way of explanation, but apparently, Logan's sense of smell was much better than we gave him credit for.

"That's a lie, Rogue, and we both know it. Come find me when you are ready to tell the truth."

I winced mentally at Logan's biting words. He didn't usually call me _Rogue_ unless he was upset with me.

Sometimes, I really hated how well the guy could read me, but I guess the fault was all mine. I insisted that Logan was more my family than Mystique ever was, and yet when the Wolverine did anything remotely paternal, I got all mad.

I also got mad when Logan could tell easily that I was keeping secrets from him, and the truth was, just now, I indeed lie to him.

However, this was something I wasn't _ever_ going to share with him.

_How could I tell him that last night had been bizarre for me?_

_How could I tell him that although I was asleep in the traditional sense, I didn't get any rest?_

_How could I tell him that I couldn't rest because I had an erotic dream?_

_How could I tell him that in the dream I was seduced by a **vampire**?_

Maybe it was all those vampire books Kitty and Wanda made me read. After Kitty and I had taken part in the Dracula school play when she was a freshman and I was a sophomore, Kitty became obsessed with all things vampire. Then we met Wanda, and the Scarlet Witch was the same.

It was no wonder that eventually I became a vampire-fiction addict, too, considering who my two best-friends were. Hell, because of the Gothic get up I used to sport in our school days, everyone thought I made the ultimate vampire babe. Wanda was a Goth back then too, but she preferred to be thought of as a witch.

_Yeah, no surprise there_.

I even went to the Halloween party in my final year of school as a sexy Vampire Elder. Wanda, as usual, went as a witch, and Kitty had dressed to look like Aphrodite, Goddess of Love.

That was back then, though. Wanda and I had both abandoned our Goth get-ups a long time ago. Sure, we still liked the dark, smoky eyes, but that was in fashion these days.

Hence, I really didn't understand why I'd have such a vivid sexual dream last night. In those days, it would have made sense, as I couldn't touch anyone. Dreaming was the only place I'd get any action.

Now, though, it was different. I had lost my virginity right after I got my powers under control, and to my best friend too. Needless to say, it was very awkward, and being a first timer had nothing to do with it.

The experience, however, was soon forgotten. Pulse came into my life and I had a good time with him until I found out Mystique had set him up to get in my good side after the shit she pulled with Carol. Still, it was a pretty wonderful three weeks.

And then there was Pietro. Just who I needed to get over Mystique and Pulse's deception. Kurt and Wanda thoroughly approved, as did Kitty since she was still dating Lance.

We went out on triple dates plenty of times, but time with Pietro was even better when the other two couples were not around. I had rarely met anyone who could keep me amused for so long. The two years we spent together were definitely my best ever.

I'm sure we would have lasted longer, only as my final year got nearer, I realized I never dated any human boy and began to panic. I knew once I was out of college, there would be no more opportunity for interacting with anyone who wasn't a mutant.

It broke my heart to break up with Pietro, but I didn't want to spend my life wondering. Needless to say, Quicksilver didn't take it well.

When I kept my promise and really began dating a different guy every month, Pietro started dating _four_ different girls simultaneously, and changed them every month, too.

That was when I knew I would never get back with him.

It didn't matter, really. I was happy to be single. I was single when my powers first manifested, and my then best friend, Cody, kissed me on a dare. I was single when I first met the X-Men, and developed a huge crush on Scott. I was single when I met Logan and started to hero-worship him. And it was definitely not me throwing myself at Alex every chance I got. No, that was Carol. _I_ was single then, and I was happy.

I was even happy being single when Warren started seeing Betsy, even though he met _me_ first.

_So, why couldn't I be happy now?_

_Why did it affect me that a certain Southerner had taken up residence at the X-mansion?_

_Why did it bother me that the Cajun was made an X-Men?_

_Why did I care that that Devil Eyes had a blond bimbo hanging onto his arms?_

_Most importantly, why the **hell** did I want the dream vampire from last night to be the **Swamp Rat**?_

I groaned.

I was _so_ screwed.

God, I hoped I survived today's DR session without embarrassing myself.

R~G

_It started from my toes._

_That's where I felt the first caress, a slight touch that sent a tingle up my body. Instantly, I knew it was him – my vampire lover. His intoxicating scent was all around me, cocooning me a lusty spell.  
_

_At first I thought the light pressure on my toe was a lone finger, but then I thought it couldn't be. The skin was too smooth. It was his lips. _

_As he trailed gentle, feathery, butterfly kisses from my toe upwards, I tried to take a good look at him. It was useless, just like the night before. Also, like the previous night, I couldn't move my arms and legs._

_It was then that I realized that not only was I blind-folded, but I was also tied to my bed. The bindings didn't hurt, but they were firm. I couldn't move an inch._

_His lazy kisses had reached my thigh, and for a moment I panicked, thinking he would kiss me **there**._

_He did, but over the black panty and the baby doll set I was wearing. However, as his mouth moved northwards and skimmed over my stomach and above, his lips got urgent and hungry._

_By the time his tongue found my hard nipples, he actually started to suckle them over the thin material of my skimpy night attire._

_I couldn't hold it within me anymore. I moaned, and began gyrating my hips with his. His manhood was large and heavy, resting against my core._

_I wanted to break free from my bindings and tear the clothes separating us._

_I was burning up inside when his mouth moved from my nipples, leaving two wet spots on my negligee._

_Then, he finally kissed me, and I tangled my tongue with his. The urgency of my body to reach its sensual peak, to have its release was being denied again as the clothes still kept us separated, like last night._

_I tried to convey that with my mouth as our tongues imitated the sexual act itself._

_However, my body wouldn't be contained. It had climbed far too high to hold back at the last moment._

_As my orgasm took over, like last night, once again I felt the two sharp punctures on my neck._

**A/N: Any guesses who Rogue lost her virginity to ;)? And yes, I took the Pietro-with-four-girls from X-Men:Evo :D and I just liked how Rogue and Warren looked together in Wolverine and the X-Men cartoon (though they were not together).**

**So, what about the lemon? What do you think? I'm still a bit worried how you all will react, as they will get bolder with each passing chapter.**


	16. Wanted and unwanted family members

**A/N: Hello ladies :). Those who couldn't see the images, I'll provide the link again when I reply to your PMs, okay? And those who could, but didn't recognize the last three, yes, they were Wentworth Miller, Rosamund Pike, and Scarlet Johansson. Anyways, thanks for the lovely words. I love reading them :). Now, to my reviewers:  
**

**Sweetcornbee:** Girl, you are genius ;). That's all I'm going to say for now.

**My Beautiful Ending:** That's alright, love :). This was the reason I kept asking about it time and time again. Just skip the italics part, and you'll be fine.

**massi14:** Love the equation ;). Lol. Stay tuned, more lemon coming up.

**Once more, this chapter is all about the bull that occupies my mind**. **Hope they will eventually make sense.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the different worlds of X-Men.**

The four Southerners sat outside in one of the many round tables propped up in the vast lawn behind the X-mansion.

"Nice weather, _non_?" Gambit said to his three companions, as his eyes quickly, but thoroughly scanned his surroundings, looking for a certain green-eyed siren.

"Don't tell me, you got laid last night!"

Bella Donna looked eagerly at her former husband and life-long best friend, her body vibrating with excitement as she anticipated hearing the juicy details about Remy's latest conquest. Although a lethal assassin, life was pretty boring for her on the personal front as she was living the life of a married-woman-with-a-kid. Mercy was the same, and there was no one else to provide the much needed juicy gossip back at New Orleans.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Belle," Gambit replied with as much innocence as he could muster.

"_Oh_, _please_, LeBeau," Bella Donna said with a wave of her hand, "it's ten in the morning. You wouldn't have been so chirpy at this time if you didn't spent a satisfactory night last night."

Mercy laughed at that, and even Henri chuckled a little.

Gambit scowled at his brother, and then turned towards Bella Donna.

"I didn't get _laid_ last night, as you call it. Anna is a very special girl, and I wouldn't dishonor her by having a one-night stand with her."

"You mean if she finds out what your true intentions are, she will beat the shit out of you," Henri commented with a smirk.

"Not to mention what that clawed guy would do to you," Mercy added, smiling slyly.

"I'll have you know my intentions are pure when it comes to Anna," Gambit replied, irritation lacing his voice.

Looking at the frown on her co-leader's face, Bella Donna smiled knowingly.

"What?"

"You are in love with her, aren't you?"

Mercy and Henri looked surprised, as did Gambit for a fraction of a second, before he quickly composed his features to a neutral expression. He then proceeded to brood.

Bella Donna laughed lightly.

"You spent your entire life sleeping with unknown women, whispering words of love, and then breaking their hearts by not keeping the promises you made in the heat of the moment. You probably don't even remember their faces, much less their names, considering you are rarely sober when picking up women. And not to forget, most of your action probably took place in empty bathroom cubicles and darkened corridors and alleys."

"Very poetic, Bella," Mercy approved, where else Henri grinned unabashedly.

"Hmm," Bella Donna continued, "seems like appropriate punishment that you would end up falling for a girl you have not yet slept with, a girl who does not like to be addressed by her real name, and of course, a girl who is thoroughly unimpressed with you."

"Ha ha ha," Gambit deadpanned. "_Very funny_, Belle. I'm rolling on the floor laughing my ass off."

"No offense, little brother, but gotta appreciate the irony," Henri smirked.

"One must also take notice how Remy didn't deny the fact," Mercy mused, her eyes sparkling with laughter.

"You said it yourself, Merc," Bella Donna stated, "it's a _fact_. No point in denying it. Plus, I may not have seen much of him in the last ten years, but I grew up with that boy. There's no way he can lie to _me_."

Bella Donna looked straight at Gambit, challenging him with her eyes to dare to deny _that_ fact.

Gambit sighed unhappily.

"Look, I don't know what I'm feeling, okay? I kiss her all the time after our DR sessions, _oui_, but I don't feel like ripping her clothes off and having my way with her, because I know she doesn't want it yet. I'll admit I never felt this strongly about a _fille_ before, but let's not get carried away with the whole love thing."

Gambit looked so confused, like a five-year-old trying to solve a Calculus problem, that his companions laughed heartily before trying to sooth him down.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The four of them almost jumped out of their skins as the sudden noise assaulted their ears.

"What was _that_?" Mercy asked, startled as the other three poised themselves, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The four whipped around and saw, as did some of the mutants that were also out in the lawn enjoying the sun, a blue figure appearing out of nowhere on a nearby tree's top branch, before vanishing into thin air again with a BAMF.

"It's just Blue Boy," Gambit said, relaxing his stance.

"_Really_? I could have sworn it was a blue _monkey_ I saw up there," Henri replied, dryly.

"Shut up, Henri," admonished Bella Donna. "Rems, what happened here?"

"No idea. The teleporter don't exactly like to hang around with me."

"Of course, he doesn't. You are planning to get his sister in bed, and he knows it. He has got a brother's intuition. I know all about it."

Mercy rolled her eyes at her husband, before turning to her brother-in-law.

"He doesn't like to hang around with you, or _you_ don't want his company?"

Gambit shrugged, nonchalantly.

"He's way younger than me. We don't share the same interests."

"Then work on it and develop some. From what I have seen, he and his sister are very close. Trust me, the Anna girl won't take to you if her brother harbors a dislike towards you."

Gambit grimaced at that.

Great, he thought sarcastically, now he needed to spend more time listening to the X-Men's pathetic life-stories.

"You don't seem too happy about that," Bella Donna commented.

"Remember Nathaniel Essex and how he created me from another mutant baby?" Gambit said, looking at Henri. When his brother nodded, he continued.

"Well, apparently, my elder _brother_ is one of the X-Men here."

"The guy with the red sun-glasses, Cyclops."

"How..."

"Other than the fact that you two have similar build and height, the ruby sun-glass is a dead giveaway. I'll bet his eyes are red, too."

"Well, no one has seen them and lived to tell the tale, I'm afraid," Gambit huffed. Mercy looked at him, concerned.

"What is bothering you, Remy? You seem to really like this place, and yet at the same time it seems you don't want to be here."

"I _do_ like this place. The Professor's great, and so is Wolverine. It feels wonderful catching up with Stormy again, and then there's Anna..."

"But you feel claustrophobic here. Too many people, right?" Bella Donna knew she was correct in her assumption. The boy she knew was an adventurer, never one for settling down, and as far as she could tell, Remy hadn't changed in the last ten years or so.

"Yeah..."

"You know, you are always welcome at home, now that your exile has been lifted. _P__ère _made you the Patriarch, not me. I don't have to look after anything on your behalf. You can always come settle down in New Orleans and do it yourself."

Bella Donna shook her head. Henri just didn't get it. Settling down was not in Remy's plans for his future. In fact, she would bet all her money and valuable possessions that the only reason Remy stayed around with the X-Men this long was because of that girl, Rogue. Going out on missions with the mutants was just a side benefit.

Gambit's next words proved her right.

"That desk job is not my forte," Gambit said, shaking his head. "You manage it. Only consult me if you believe you need advice. Otherwise, think of yourself as the Patriarch. I'm not cut out for that position."

The conversation was getting depressing, according to both Bella Donna and Mercy. They were about to ask the men to change the topic to something light-hearted, when the mansion was filled with people of all ages shouting.

"Kurt!" shouted a boy, and Gambit looked up to see Evan standing on a second-floor balcony, scanning his surroundings with his eyes.

"Kurt!" Kitty phased half-way through a wall on the opposite side, as her eyes did a quick search, too.

"Kurt!"

"Kurt!"

The four heard other voices in and around the mansion, and noticed that the lawn was empty except for themselves.

"What's going on?" Mercy asked, looking confusedly at Gambit.

"Isn't Kurt the Blue Boy?" asked her husband, frowning.

Gambit was frowning, too, when he noticed a shadow above them.

"Kurt!"

Rogue was in her black-leather X-Men uniform, and she was flying high up, also searching for her brother.

"Rogue."

"Logan!"

Immediately, Rogue flew down and landed in front of the Wolverine.

"What happened to the Elf?"

"I don't know," she replied, worried. "I was in the DR, having a session with the Young Mutants, when Kitty came bursting into the control room. She said Evan was looking for Kurt and couldn't find him anywhere. It seemed like Kurt received some kind of letter that thoroughly pissed him off."

"I'll go look for him."

Rogue nodded, and the Wolverine was gone in a flash. Gambit stood up to go and comfort her. True, they didn't speak with each other outside of the danger room, unless it was to insult and tease one another, and they never verbally acknowledged their heavy make-out sessions, but he hoped she wouldn't deny his sympathy now.

Before he could take two steps though, a raven flew towards Rogue and began to transform into a blue figure, similar to Kurt's.

"Mystique!"

"Shouldn't you say _Momma_."

"Like hell I'll call you that," Rogue said, with a Wolverine-worthy growl.

"But _I am_," replied the scantily dressed woman, calmly. "Both yours and Kurt's."

"Is that why Kurt's missing? I'm warning you, Mystique. If Kurt..."

"Oh, I'm sure your brother's not missing. Upset maybe, but not missing. He'll never leave you. I guess I'm glad that, at least, you two get along very well."

"Kurt and I have a wonderful relationship, and always will, without having _you_ in the equation. Now tell me, where's Kurt? If something happens to him, I..."

"I take it you didn't read the card I sent you?"

"_Please!_ Hallmark never did much for me, and when it's something from you..."

"It wasn't some clichéd _I love you, my daughter_ card from all those sappy card manufacturers. It was an invitation card."

"I've no intention to attend any party..."

"But you must," Mystique smiled serenely. "See, I had a feeling you would ignore it, so I personally came to make sure you got a chance to read it. Here, I got another one for you."

Rogue snatched the cream-colored envelop from the woman in front of her, and tore open the elegant envelop.

"This had better be good," she muttered, as she looked down to read its contents.

Mystique, in the meantime, looked around and narrowed her eyes at Gambit. She had been alive for over hundreds of years, and one look was enough to tell her that the red-eyed mutant had designs on her daughter.

Before she could give the boy a worthy warning to stay away from her daughter, Rogue had looked up and stared at Mystique in shock.

"You..."

"See? You _have_ to come. You, my beautiful daughter, are the maid of honor, after all."

R~G

_She was expecting him...and he didn't disappoint._

_He came to her, his scent surrounding her like a warm, comfortable blanket on a winter night. _

_The kiss he gave her was one of passion, hungry to the point that it left a bruise. Tonight, he wasn't satisfied with the barriers their clothes posed. _

_He wanted her, his lust raw and animalistic in nature._

_Internally, she grinned. Tonight, finally, they will be together._

_With his lips still on her, and their tongues meshed together, he deftly took off her black baby doll. His hands wandered over her naked torso, pausing when they reached her breasts._

_He slowly cupped them, but she didn't want his gentle touches. She had waited the last few nights to feel his calloused hands against her naked flesh._

_So she arched her back, and pushed her soft mounds against his palms. He got the idea, and squeezed them, hard._

_A moan escaped her, and he began to play with her nipples._

_She tore her mouth away from him, as she started to breathe in the air surrounding her. His ministrations had left her short of breath. _

_He moved his mouth from her lips to her chin, and continued down wards._

_His hands, too, had started to follow a trail southwards from her ample breasts, and removed her panties._

_All this was becoming too much for her, her sense of feeling too sharp, considering she had to do without sight or movement._

_He didn't keep her waiting long, though. _

_As gently as possible, he pushed himself inside of her, and she let out another moan as their naked bodies fused together._

_They built a beautiful rhythm together, one that steadily rose in crescendo, until the cords broke free and they were left heaving in a beautiful moment of peace that was musical in its silence. _

Rogue woke with a start.

She sat up on her bed and was breathing heavily, as if she really had been participating in a sexual act itself instead of dreaming about one.

She looked around her room, and found Kitty sleeping on her bed, her purple stuffed dragon, Lockheed, peeping from under her covers.

The French windows that led to the balcony were open, and the curtains were swaying in a gentle breeze.

As her heart rate slowly returned to normal, Rogue returned to her sleeping position, resting her head on her pillow. Before she could change her mind, she quickly pulled her teddy bear from her bedside table drawer and cuddled it to her chest.

It was only when the soft fur of the bear made contact with her naked midriff that Rogue realized she hadn't worn her usual baby doll to bed to night.

She had gone to bed clad only in her cherry-red lace bra and matching panties.

**A/N: So, there it is. The characters seemed to be getting infinitely boring to me, so yeah, I'm trying to spice them up. But you know me, my version of 'spicing' things up will be totally random and meaningless. Still, I can't seem to give up ;).**

**Coming up next: Wedding, pregnancy, and a game of strip poker.  
**


	17. Surprises and a much needed conversation

**A/N: Thanks again to all those of you who send me the PMs. They are wonderful, and I'll definitely try to incorporate the suggestions you gave me. Hope you all have fun with this chapter. There's more ROMY interaction, as some of you requested. Now, to my reviewers:**

**My Beautiful Ending: **Yep, Mystique is getting married. You will see why as you read on. And good news for you, no lemon in this chapter :).

**tfobmv18: **You know, I thought it would be easy to figure out who Rogue lost her V-card to. Guess not ;). Hope you like this chapter, love.

**GypsyWitchBaby: **Mystique's soon-to-be hubby will be revealed today (though it really isn't much of a mystery). And you are absolutely right about Remy-romancing-Rogue part. A girl who likes to send me lengthy PMs also pointed it out to me. As for the vampire lover, it's definitely Gambit, but as you can tell, there are some dark deception going on here, since the seduction is obviously not a normal or conventional one.

**a romy fan: **Thanks for all you wonderful reviews :).

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the different worlds of X-Men.**

The four young X-Men stepped in the huge dining room to find all eyes on them.

"O-kay!" said Evan, "What did we do this time?"

Ororo ignored her nephew and concentrated on the older mutant.

"Mystique was here yesterday, Rogue?"

Rogue sighed. This was not a conversation she wanted to have at eight in the morning. Kurt, too, looked uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"Who told you?"

"Gambit," Jean provided. The man in question winced as both Rogue and Kurt threw nasty looks at him.

_She probably won't let me kiss or touch her tonight,_ Gambit thought in despair.

"Don't look at him like that," Scott defended. "You should know better than to keep secrets from us, Rogue, especially when it involves members of the Brotherhood."

Rogue narrowed her yes at their _fearless leader_. Gambit did too. He didn't want his dear brother protecting him.

"Do _we_ ever question you about the circumstances of Megan's birth?"

A few gasps were heard, and Emma was one of them, though only she knew what shocked her the most about that question.

"That...that was personal," stammered Scott, and Jean pleaded Rogue with her eyes to drop the subject. Ever since the mental pressure the telepath had suffered, along with the Professor, for nearly two years to help Rogue control her powers, the younger girl had developed a deep respect for the red head. So she conceded.

"Yeah...yeah, she was here."

"And?" Warren asked, in a voice that sounded eerily like Scott's.

_God,_ thought Rogue, _those two are so much alike. Serious, uptight, repressed...can't believe I actually harbored a crush on both of them once._

"She came to see me."

"Why?"

This time it was Logan who voiced the question, and Rogue knew she wouldn't be able to get away lying. She looked behind her, and saw that her three friends were staring at different directions, none meeting her eyes.

She turned back to her adopted father.

"Might as well start from the beginning. Can we, at least, sit down and get something to eat?"

"Of course, Rogue," said the Professor. "We just want to know the purpose of Raven's visit. Things have been quiet for awhile, and I'd like keep it that way."

Evan immediately dug into his food, and Kitty was coaxing Kurt to eat, who all of a sudden didn't seem very hungry. Rogue had lost her appetite too, but still made an effort. As she slowly spread the chocolate on her toast, she addressed her audience.

"Mystique had sent mails to Kurt and me. Like always, I ignored them, but apparently, she had some important announcement to make this time."

"What announcement? Is it the reason why Kurt took of yesterday?" Betsy asked her friend.

Rogue looked sideways at her brother, and nodded.

"Yes. You see, Mystique...sh-she's getting married."

_"What?"_

Needless to say, everyone at the table was shocked into speechlessness...until Logan started to howl with laughter.

"Uh, no offense Mr Logan, but what's so funny?" Kitty asked, annoyed. She knew how much the news had frustrated two of her best friends.

"You are right," Logan murmured, wiping tears of mirth. "I shouldn't have laughed. In fact, I should spend time feeling sorry for the poor guy who thought marrying Mystique was a good idea."

Evan barked out a laugh then. When Kitty and Rogue glared at him, he said innocently, "What? That was damn good joke."

"Not funny, dude," Kurt muttered, looking down.

"Don't feel too sorry, _Dad_," Rogue said, turning towards Logan. "For my new _dad_ doesn't deserve it."

"And may I ask who this new 'dad' is? I take it he's a mutant?"

"Yes, Hank, he is. He's one of the most powerful mutants you have ever known, nearly as strong as the Professor himself. Why, they were even good friends once."

_"Magneto?" _asked a number of voices simultaneously.

Rogue smiled grimly.

"Got it in one."

The ladies stared at one another, where else Scott and Warren started to stutter in unison.

"This..."

"Wha..."

"What the _hell_ is happening to our kind?" Logan growled. "Since when did our lives start to resemble sappy, pathetic soap operas? If this is the price of piece, Chuck, then I want our old days back."

"So do we all," Evan piped in, throwing a side-long glance at Kurt.

The Professor didn't miss the look.

"Is that why you're upset, Kurt?" he asked.

"Duh!" Kitty said, looking slightly astonished because in her opinion everyone should have already been able to figure that out. "If Magneto and Mystique get married, Kurt and Wanda will end up being step siblings."

"It is with that intention that they have decided to get married, I tell you," Kurt said, scowling.

"Kurt, I know it's upsetting to think of Wanda as your step-sister, but trust me, everything will be okay one day."

Ororo smiled reassuringly at the young blue boy, who had accepted his mutation and stopped wearing his image inducer for about a year now.

"How?"

Kurt didn't know how this situation could get any better.

"Well, you and Wanda are both young now. Say ten years later, when you'll both have matured and living different lives, you will realize this little fact is not important anymore."

Kurt narrowed his eye, in a very Rogue-like manner, at the weather witch.

"You are talking as if Wanda and I'd have broken up by then?"

"Well..."

"And now for secret number two!"

Rogue and Kitty looked at Kurt, who immediately looked down again.

"What was that, Evan?" Ororo asked, looking at the four youngsters in turn. Everyone else was doing the same, except for Emma and Betsy, neither of whom ever felt ashamed at invading others mind.

Emma gave her usual cynical smile, where else Betsy's eyes widened before she almost laughed out loud.

"What is it you four are not telling us?" Logan asked, suspicious.

"Uh..."

"We..."

Rogue and Kurt looked at each other, not sure how to break the news to everyone. Kitty and Evan remained quiet.

"If you two are done impersonating Shades and Wings, then let's hear the news now," Logan said dryly. Scott and Warren looked indignant, but kept quiet. They were wise enough to know that no one got one over the Wolverine.

"Well," Kurt began, "you remember the night recently when Kitty and I were over at the Brotherhood mansion?"

"Hmm?"

"He's talking about the night when we were terrorized by the Professor's girlfriend."

"Evan!"

"What? Oh, right. Sorry Aunty O, sorry Professor."

"Yeah...so, there was a reason we didn't come home," Kurt said, scratching his head in a silly manner. "At least for me. I don't know why Kitty hanged around."

"Oh, I wanted to see Wanda's face when you...well...oh, Rogue, you have such great taste in jewelery! I'm, like, totally asking Lance to take you when he goes shopping one for me."

"Uh, thanks, Kitty."

"Okay, stop talking in riddles," Logan said, irritated. "Rogue, what's going on?"

"You are _such_ an unromantic, Mr Logan."

"Half-pint..."

"Kurt proposed to Wanda!" Rogue blurted out.

_"What?"_

"Okay, you guys seriously need to stop doing that," Evan said, and then looked at Gambit. The latter was leaned back in his chair, and was keeping himself apart from the rest. From the look on his face, he seemed to be enjoying the situation, though he did throw cautious glances at Rogue's way.

"Gambit, man, you seem like the only sane one here."

"_Merci, mon ami_," he said smiling, before his eyes landed on Rogue again and he winked at her. She just rolled her eyes.

By then, everyone had more or less recovered from their shock.

"Kurt, you proposed? But you are still so young. You have your whole life ahead of you." Scott was horrified at the notion, even though he had met and dated his own wife when he was younger than Kurt was at the moment.

"And here's secret number three!"

"There are _other_ things you lot are hiding from us?"

"Oh, this is the absolute best one, Mr Logan," Evan chuckled. Kitty elbowed him to shut him up.

"Okay, let's hear it," Logan said gruffly. "After the bomb Kurt dropped on us, I'll bet nothing will surprise me today."

"You'll lose that bet," Rogue said, and then took a bite of her toast.

"What's going on?" Ororo asked. "Rogue? Kitty? Kurt?"

Kurt seemed to disappear from the table, he was bending so low, his eyes on his shuffling foot.

"No one knows this, except for the four of us, Wanda, and the Brotherhood boys."

"What is it, Kurt?" Jean asked gently.

"Actually, no, not even John knows about it, or Todd, or Fred – just Pietro and Lance," he mumbled in a small voice.

"Kurt?"

"Wanda's pregnant."

_"What?"_

"See what I'm talking about?" Evan said, shaking his head dramatically.

R~G

Gambit was standing in a corner of the Professor's office room, completely bored out of his mind. All the teachers, except for Rogue, had gathered tonight to discuss the motivations and repercussions of Magneto's impending marriage to Mystique.

Although she refused to acknowledge it, Mystique was still Rogue's mother, hence her inclusion from the meeting.

Frankly, Gambit didn't give a damn about who was marrying who. The X-Men, however, saw it fit meddle in everybody's business, all in the name of mutant safety.

Gambit was more worried about his Anna. As he had expected, she hadn't shown up for their danger room session today. He could easily report it to the Wolverine or Cyclops, but didn't want there to be more reasons for Rogue to avoid him.

Gambit thought he had made some progress with the girl. Rogue didn't seem to mind when he grabbed and kissed her every night after their DR practice. She didn't even complain when his hands roamed on dangerous territories, though she never gave any indication that she wanted to accompany him to his room, or invite him into hers.

It didn't bother Gambit. For the first time in his life, he was prepared to take things slow. True, it had not been his intention at the beginning, but as the days flew by, Gambit knew that Rogue would never be 'one of his girls'. She was 'the only girl' type, and Gambit was just fine with it, because for him, she was 'it' – the one with whom he was meant to be.

Trouble was, he didn't know how to express his feelings to her. He didn't have any previous experience in the matter.

Bella Donna and Gambit grew up together, and they had been in love ever since he could remember. As far as he knew, he hadn't needed to do anything special to proclaim his love to her. After her, he simply hadn't done the 'love' thing anymore. Too scarred from Julien's death, Gambit had decided to enjoy each day as it came, and the best way to do it when women was involved, was by the 'one night only' formula.

Until he met Rogue...the real Rogue, that is.

The attraction had definitely been only physical at first, but as he observed her day after day, he found a girl who was gorgeous, strong, confident, loyal, funny, and very, very passionate.

It was a deadly combination, and Gambit had fallen so deep that there was no chance of escaping again.

The best part was that he didn't want to escape. Not this time.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Gambit whipped around to see three scantily clad bodies phase from the ceiling and fall hard on the marble floor.

Rogue was the strongest one of them, so she had deliberately maneuvered them all so as to take the hit herself.

Kitty landed on top of her, followed by Evan. Before anyone could say anything, there was a loud BAMF and Kurt appeared, looking concerned.

"Are you three alright?"

None of them had noticed the room full of teachers...that is, until Logan decided to make his presence known.

"What the hell happened _now_ for you four to dress in practically nothing?" growled the furry guy.

They all looked shocked to find the room full.

"What the hell are _you_ all awake for so late at night?" Rogue countered.

Rogue was in a matching black-lace bra and short set, and Kitty was wearing a similar white pair. Both Kurt and Evan were in red and navy boxers, respectively.

"Tell me why you four are in your underwear, and the answer better be a damn good one," Logan said menacingly. "If it's because you were involved in some group orgy..."

_"EWWWWW!"_

Kitty was thoroughly grossed out, and both Evan and Kurt were dumbfounded with shock. It was Rogue who answered.

"We were playing strip poker. Kitty won."

"And you decided to celebrate by giving us a surprise visit?" Logan asked incredulously.

"Of course not!"

"We didn't even know you guys are awake, man."

"Why would we want to do that?"

"Look," Rogue said, trying to stay calm, which was difficult to do when she was only in her bra and panties, and a certain pair of red eyes were trained on her. "Kitty's and my room is just above this office. When she won the game, Evan pounced on her, believing she had cheated. Kit was taken by surprise, hence she phased through her bed along with Evan and me, as I was sitting right beside her. Kurt obviously teleported to ensure we were not badly hurt."

"Fine, fine. Go up to your rooms now. There will be extra DR sessions for staying up so late."

Logan then turned towards the Professor.

"Chuck, I think we need to have some sweats and pajamas tailored with the X-logo. I don't know if I can take these kids showing up in almost nothing anymore."

A few of them chuckled, and because it was already so late, the Professor ended the meeting. Kurt and Evan teleported to their room, and Kitty went to the common bathroom most of the female students shared to complete her nightly routine.

Rogue decided to wait in their room for Kitty before she herself could make use of the bathroom. As she made her way through the dark, empty corridor – all the students have long gone to bed – a hand grabbed her at the waist and cornered her in the opposite wall.

Gambit kissed her soundly before resting his forehead on her.

"Anna."

"Remy," Rogue deadpanned. He sighed.

"_Ch__ère,_I know you're upset because I told everyone about Mystique's visit, but believe me when I say I didn't do it to hurt you."

"Why should I?"

"Wha..." Gambit looked down at her, confused. "_Ch__ère,_I care about you. I'd never deliberately do anything that would cause you pain."

Rogue remained silent.

_"Ch__ère?"_

"What are you trying to say? That you _love_ me?" Rogue asked, challengingly.

"Ye-yea...yes, yes I think I love you. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Rogue snorted.

"_Please_, Gambit! You don't even _know_ the meaning of love. You are just waiting to get me in your pants, and then you would take off again."

"No, I wouldn't," Gambit replied vehemently. "Why would you even think of such a thing?"

"Because you don't act like a man in love," Rogue answered.

"What do you mean I..."

"If you were really in love with me, or at least cared, you would try to get to know me, and my family."

"I..."

"What is my favorite color? Food? Books, movies, music? Do you know the answer to any of these questions? Have you cared enough to find out?"

"Uh..."

"The X-Men is my family now. Do you really _know_ them? Have you tried to socialize with them? You are always hanging out with your family and..."

"My family hasn't seen much of me in the last decade, and I..."

"I'm not saying you should ignore your family, but would it hurt to incorporate some of the X-Men in your conversations? Scott, Warren, Jean...they are always trying to talk to you, but you simply ignore them all. The New Mutants _love_ you. They are so excited to have you as their DR instructor, but you don't interact with them at all outside of your sessions."

Gambit sighed. He knew Rogue had him there.

"I've had a few flings in the last year, and I can have one with you, too. Love, though, wouldn't form a part of the equation, then. So don't say you _care_."

With that, Rogue disappeared in her room.

R~G

Three a.m. found Gambit on the roof of the mansion, as he smoked and thought hard about the things Rogue had said to him.

Rogue, on the other hand, tossed and turned in her bed, disappointed at her mysterious lover's absence.

In their special, highly secret meeting place, two blue-eyed blonds huffed with annoyance at the turn the day's events.

**A/N: So, here's some ROMY for you gals. I get this complain a lot that there's never enough of the two. I guess I just love everyone so much that sometimes I lose myself on them instead of concentrating on the central characters.  
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	18. Gifts for girlfriends

**A/N: Hmm, I got a PM that asked why I only thank my reviewers and not all my readers. Well, I'd like to say that I mention my reviewers because I usually answer whatever question they have. However, since the issue has been raised, well, then, let me start by thanking all of you who visit, read, review, PM, or put story alert and make this story one of your faves: THANK YOU. Seriously, I really appreciate all your love, encouragement and support. So, once again, thank you.**

**Sweetcornbee: **Hi there :). Don't know about Bella, but there will definitely be some LeBeau and X-Men 'conversation' ;).**  
**

**My Beautiful Ending: **Read it and let me know what you thought of Remy's 'efforts' :). **  
**

**GypsyWitchBaby: **I think both Rogue and Remy will be shocked when they find out what was happening at night ;)**  
**

**a romy fan/ rogue4eva/ HRHG: **I read the reviews, but I was wondering you guys could sign up before reviewing? I only ask 'cause some of you asked a few question and it's quite impossible to reply here. If you had signed, I could have responded to the reviews individually.

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the different worlds of X-Men.**

Rogue gritted her teeth as she made her way to the DR. The past twenty-fours had been nothing short of a nightmare. It had all started from the moment she had deliberately skipped her danger room session with the Cajun.

_Gambit._

She had been so obsessed thinking about how he would make it up to her when he figured out that she was still pissed off with him, that she lost the strip poker game to Kitty.

It was an insult.

Kurt was the first one to fold, and she had thought she would have to battle it out with Evan. _But Kitty?_

As if that was not enough, she had to humiliate herself by landing on the Professor's office in her bra and panties. Logan was furious to say the least, where else _he_ had been checking her out like she was some sex toy.

And then, the snake charmer actually had the gal to say that he was _in_ love with her.

_Ha!_ _Like that womanizer even knew the meaning of love. _

If he was really in love with her, then why couldn't he keep his hands off of the blond bimbo?

Last night, when he had confronted her and she had lashed out at him, she had felt a little bad about the harsh things she had said to him.

He had seemed thoroughly confused, so may be, he did genuinely care about her. However, today had just proved that he really didn't _know_ her at all.

She was flustered enough already when she woke up this morning, as her dream-lover had refused to appear. She even stayed in bed late in the hopes that he would come to her, despite the ridiculousness of the theory.

Dreams happened of their own volition, and they rarely followed a pattern. Still, she had hoped.

And then, all hell had broken loose.

She was woken from her restless slumber by someone banging on her door. Angry with the intruder, she had almost taken the door of it hinges, only to find an excited Tabby and a giggling Amara taking hold of her hands and pulling her downstairs, fast.

There, at the main door had stood a delivery guy with a huge bouquet of blood-red roses.

She had signed and accepted her flowers, and headed straight to her room without answering her increasing audience any of their questions. And, that had been just the beginning.

As the day continued, more flowers had arrived, all in beautiful arrangements, all red roses.

Every time, there was a card tucked away, and every time, it said the same thing: _Don't tell Logan._

Rogue was no rocket scientist, and it didn't take one to figure out who was sending the obnoxiously expensive bouquets.

For a moment, Rogue was tempted to go right up to Logan and admit the truth, for he had been hounding her all day too, asking the same question again and again: _Who sent the flowers?_

Rogue knew Logan suspected they were from Pietro, for the older guy didn't suspect Gambit even once.

Jean and Ororo, for their part, simply smiled, as if to say _Our Rogue has grown up, boys are sending her flowers._

Betsy was surprised, but was far too busy planning her own wedding to Warren, for which Rogue was infinitely grateful.

It was Kitty who surprised her. Rogue had expected the younger girl to start jumping up and down on her bed with glee and curiosity, like Tabby, Jubilee and Amara were doing, but Kitty didn't even seem to notice much.

All she said, when she had entered their room to find it full, was 'Nice Flowers', before she went out again to God knew where. Rogue was feeling a little uneasy about her friend's sudden lack of enthusiasm, and the disappearing acts she kept pulling all day.

Her only break came when she had to take DR sessions with the Young Mutants. Yes, Amara, Roberto, Rahne, Danielle, Illyana, Laura, Tildie, The Cuckoos, Sarah and Jamie had finally chosen their code name. Names like _Uncanny X-Men and NextGen_ were thrown around, but eventually, they all decided to go for the obvious one.

Neither of these kids were interest in the red roses that kept arriving the whole day, nor had they any curiosity about Rogue's love-life. Except for Amara, but Rogue suspected it was because of Tabby and Jubes, and she vowed to keep Amara from their evil clutches. She started by assigning group works for two, and assigned Amara with the Cuckoos as there were five of them.

Rogue had avoided the dining room during meals, not because she was trying to get people to stop pestering her, but because she was hoping that the Swamp Rat would come to his senses, and realize Rogue was not impressed.

Also, his family was leaving today, and she really _didn't_ want to see how he exchanged good-byes with his ex-wife.

God, the man had one failed marriage already, and yet he had no idea where he had gone wrong.

Or _maybe_ Gambit thought Rogue would love the roses because Bella Donna _liked_ them, too? If that was the case, Rogue would borrow Wolverine's powers and hoped her bones would shoot out of her knuckles so that she could chop him into tiny, indistinguishable pieces.

Obviously, though, Devil Eyes hadn't learned anything, for she had received another bouquet of _fucking _red roses not ten minutes ago.

She banged at the metal doors of the DR to announce her arrival, and to convey her anger. For a moment she wished the DR had conventional doors instead of sliding ones. That would have sent out the message far better, for she really wanted to slam a door, and also, it wouldn't have hurt her so much.

Rogue hated how much she had become depended on Carol's power and stopped using them as much as possible ever since she started her sessions with Gambit.

"_Ch__ère_," Gambit smiled. "Did you enjoy my gifts?"

His smile faltered a little when he noticed Rogue's angry expression, and then went flying backwards as Rogue punched him in the stomach, hard.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

_"Red roses?"_

"Hey, you said you thought I didn't love you. You thought I didn't even care. Well, I do, and I'm trying to prove it to you!"

When Rogue simply raised her eye-brows, Gambit looked confused.

"Don't _hommes_ usually send their lady love red roses?"

Rogue narrowed her eyes at him then, and still kept quiet.

"Come on, don't tell me you didn't like them? All _femmes_ love it when they get flowers from their boyfriends."

Rogue sighed in exasperation. Gambit just didn't get it.

"Did you listen to a _single_ word I said last night? Did you pay _any_ attention?"

"I..."

"No, I _don't _like flowers, and I most definitely don't like _red roses_. Go give them to Jean. _She_ thinks they are _wonderful_, by the way."

With that Rogue walked out of the danger room, leaving a confused Gambit behind.

R~G

The next day was the same, and Rogue gritted her teeth as she was disrupted whatever she was doing every hour by the arrival of yet another delivery guy.

_At least, he wasn't stupid, _Rogue finally concede as she stared at the large, furry, brown object in her hands. Instead of roses, Rogue was getting inundated with teddy bears today.

She avoided her meals, as Kitty avoided the mansion. The rest of them were not worth mentioning, except for the Young Mutants, and also somewhat the New Mutants, who were getting tired of teasing Rogue and not receiving any response from her.

Like the previous day, Rogue visited the DR at nine pm sharp, though she had no intention of practicing.

She dragged several bin bags full of teddy bears behind her, and threw the largest and heaviest one in his face.

Unlike roses, Rogue did like teddy bears, so she phrased her words differently.

"Teddy bears won't make me believe that you love me either, so go give them to people who will appreciate them," she screamed in his face, her patience running thin. "Give them to the Young Mutants, but stay away from Laura. She will think you are making fun of her."

Once more, Rogue stormed out, and even though Gambit was still confused for the shop-keeper had said that girls loved getting teddy bears from their boyfriends, there was something that stuck in his mind: Rogue had asked him to stay away from Laura, otherwise he might get hurt.

It meant Rogue cared...whether she herself believed it or not.

R~G

The day after, it was the turn for chocolates. She couldn't use them to decorate the mansion, like she had done with the flowers, and the New Mutants already had a bunch of new teddy bears.

Rogue decided she would give the hundreds of boxes of delicious chocolates to Nate, Megan and Rachel.

Rogue loved all three of them, but especially Nate who had hair just like her – auburn with white streaks at the front. The boy thought of her as his way big sister.

Plus, it would piss off Scott.

As for Gambit, she gave him another tongue bashing, but he didn't mind. He already knew Rogue liked him more than she was willing to let on. He just spent the night thinking of what other things boys usually gave their girlfriends.

R~G

With flowers, teddy bears, and chocolates out of the way, she wondered what would be next. If he sent cards, she would kick him to the next millennium. She hated greeting cards, and he was there when she had told Mystique so.

Fortunately for Gambit, he had remembered the 'I-hate-cards' thing.

Unfortunately for Rogue, she received CDs – containing hundreds of love songs sung by effeminate-looking, pathetic boy bands.

Rogue decided to just give up telling him off for they were obviously of no use. He still didn't figure out that she wanted him to come to her, and talk about mutual likes and dislikes. Instead, she let him believe he could pull the cheesy, clichéd stuff and wondered when he would figure out that he couldn't win her over with them.

To get the message across, though, she gave the CDs to Tabby, Jubes, Amara and to some other Young Mutants, girls who liked pop songs.

When Gambit would see the younger girls with them, he would know that his latest attempt failed too. And if that didn't do it, then the fact that she missed another DR session with him sure would.

Rogue spent her training session with Gambit in her room, worrying about Kitty.

R~G

Gambit scratched his head absently, as he tried to come up with what to give next. It was over midnight, and he was on the roof once again, smoking and thinking.

Rogue tossed and turned once more, missing her dream lover, who hadn't shown up for the past few nights. Finally, giving up, she sat up on bed...and found the other bed empty. Rogue was worried.

In their hiding place, the two blonds met again. Neither were happy. Things were not going according to their plans. They decided it was time to take drastic measures and came up with another diabolical plan.

**A/N: As you can tell, the chapter is short. I got a few PMs complaining the chapters are too big, and there's not enough ROMY. So, I made them shorter and ROMY centric. Hope you all like it.  
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	19. The truth finally revealed

**A/N: Hmm, so I got quite a few complaints that this story seemed to drag on and on. Some PMs were downright harsh. Well, needless to say, I'm quite pissed, because it's very discouraging. So, I've decided that I'll only write two more chapters and wrap this story up. Hope you all don't mind.**

**Sweetcornbee: **Thanks, babe, for sticking with this story from the very beginning. This is the second last chapter, and so I'll make it a bit longer. Hope you like it.

**My Beautiful Ending: **The 'two blonds' will be revealed in this chapter. I'm quite miffed at the moment, so I'll be ending this story sooner than I expected. Things will seem a bit rushed, and don't read the second last part as it contains a lemon.

**tfobmv18: **Thanks for the beautiful reviews. I'll solve all the mystery here, and will end the story with the next chapter. Hope you enjoy them.

**ATLANTIS6405: **Hey there, thanks for the review. All mysteries are explained here, and story got only one more chapter left. As for Gambit, he's really in love for the first time, and hence is not sure what to do. He'll get back to normal in the next and final chapter.

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the different worlds of X-Men.**

"Hey there, mate!"

Gambit looked away from the skimpy lingerie collections – yes, he was thinking of Rogue's next set of 'gifts' from him – to find a young man about twenty one or twenty two grinning at him. The guy had a head full of shocking orange hair, and his hands seemed busy as he played with an expensive lighter.

"Can I help you, _homme_?" Gambit asked, not really in the mood for idle chatting. He had better things to do, like winning Rogue over.

"Well, if my source is correct, and considering it's Boom Boom so I'm guessing she is, I'd say you are the one who needs my help, mate."

"_Boom Boom?_ You talking 'bout Tabitha?"

"Yep, she's my girlfriend."

Gambit instantly hated the man. If this guy was the one Tabitha kept running off with, then this must be Pyro, or John, as Rogue liked to call him _oh so fondly_.

"Well, nice meeting you, but I'm busy," with that, Gambit turned around and started going through bottle green baby dolls in Rogue's size.

"Rogue's not going to be impressed by them," Gambit heard John murmur, and despite his better judgement, he turned towards the younger man.

"She already has an extensive collection of them." John grinned.

"How would _you_ know about it? Thought you two were _only_ friends?" Gambit scowled as he saw Pyro's grin widening even more.

"True, but I'm also the man she lost her virginity to."

Gambit was about to lunge at the boy, when Pyro held up his hands, as if in surrender.

"I'm not here to antagonize you, I'm here to help you."

_"Oh yeah?"_

How telling him that Johhny boy slept with the girl he was in love with was helping him, Gambit had no idea. Hence, he still considered dragging the younger guy with his hair to somewhere private and blowing up his thick head.

"Tabitha and her friends, Jubilee and Amara, did some snooping and found out that you were the guy who had been sending those anonymous gifts to Rogue for the past few days."

_Merde_, thought Gambit. Outwardly, though, he was a picture of perfect calmness.

"So?"

"So, I want to help."

When Gambit looked suspicious, the guy sighed and looked away.

"We joined the institute around the same time. We were both in our early teens when our powers manifested, and hence, the Professor took us in. We grew up together, we were each other's best mates, and...first lovers."

Gambit didn't want to hear this story. He didn't want to know who else Rogue had slept with. He had heard enough hints about the Pietro dude and the different guys she had promised to date in her last year of college. He didn't want to know any more.

"Then...then I left her. I knew she felt betrayed. It was not because we lost our virginity to each other, but because I had promised to remain her best friend forever. True, she was always very close to Piotr and Betsy, and considered Kurt, Kitty and Evan her very own family, which Kurt was, but when I was at the institute, _I _was her best friend."

Suddenly, Gambit didn't know what to say. The conversation was going in an entirely different direction than he thought, and he didn't know whether he should interrupt or not.

"_I_ was there for her when she first developed a crush on Scott, _I_ was there when she was unsure of what exactly she felt for Logan, _I _was there when Carol took over her body and started throwing herself at Alex all the time. _I_ was the one to take care of her."

There was something in Pyro's tirade that caught Gambit's attention.

"Carol can take control of her body to the point where Rogue can't control _herself_? I thought Rogue was the one to use Carol's power deliberately?"

"Carol Danvers is very powerful. Jean and the Professor had to work very hard to subdue her and the other psyches Rogue had absorbed. The others don't bother her anymore, but Carol never forgave Rogue for putting her in a coma."

Gambit frowned at that. If he remembered correctly, everybody had been concerned recently that Rogue was not acting herself, and that she should talk with the Professor if this Carol was bothering her.

"The point is, Rogue deserve to be wooed by someone - someone other than the pathetic SOB Mystique had set her up with, someone other than who Magneto had set her up with."

At the mention of Magneto's name, Gambit raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, please! Do you really think Rogue just _happened_ to fall for Quicksilver, a guy she grew up fighting with?"

"Kitty seems to have a thing for this Lance Alvers guy, and Kurt is dating Wanda," gambit replied.

"Kitty was in love with Lance more or less from the moment they met, and Wanda never had anything against the X-Men. She joined Mystique to get revenge on her father, but that is beside the point. You are an X-Men, and if you are really serious about her, then I want to help. I know what Rogue _wants_."

Considering it for a moment, Gambit decided Pyro was telling the truth. His empathy couldn't detect any lie coming off from the guy. He nodded then.

"I'm serious about her. I-I'm in love with her."

Pyro grinned, and Gambit worried if sounded like a pussy-whipped bloke. He realized he really didn't care.

"Then forget about getting her anything."

"Huh?" That was his advice? Maybe he should just flip off John and get back to business.

"Mate, why do you love this girl?"

Gambit was taken off guard by the question, but decided to answer anyways.

"Because she's smart, beautiful, sexy, courageous, loyal, and many other wonderful things, but mainly...because she's a girl worth loving."

"She's also different, right? One in a million? Different from all the other 999,999 girls, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Then _why_ do you think she'll be impressed with anything that the rest of the 999,999 girls prefer?"

To say that he was surprised was an understatement. Gambit certainly didn't expect such, well, words of wisdom from a guy who sported bright, orange hair.

John, of course, knew he had astounded the mutant before him, and gave a cheeky grin. He then put an arm around Gambit's shoulders and pulled the guy away, chatting away a mile a minute.

R~G

"Rogue, you okay?"

Rogue whipped around to see Betsy standing on her doorway.

"Hey, Bets. How's the wedding preparations going?" She asked with a cheerfulness she didn't feel.

"Stop acting. I'm a telepath, remember?" Betsy smiled and sat on the edge of Rogue's bed. "Now, I can't read either yours or Gambit's minds, but I _can_ read body languages. Plus, a few little birdies also told me the rumors that had been flying around lately."

"I'm just glad Logan hadn't made a shish-kebob out of Gambit yet," Rogue said with a forced smile.

"So, it's true? Those gifts were from Gambit?" When Rogue nodded, Betsy continued. "When did things get this far?"

"I don't know. I really didn't like him at first, but then something changed. In the beginning, I thought it was because my powers didn't work on him even when I was not controlling them, but as days went by, I realized I really liked him."

"So, what's the problem? He seems like a great guy. I mean, anyone who can save Logan's ass got to be someone awesome, right?"

"But we don't really know each other!" Rogue cried out. "What if...what if we are mistaking attraction for something more, and once we give in to temptation, everything else will fizzle out?"

"Rogue..."

"I've had quite a lot of failed relationships already. I don't want one more."

Betsy sighed. She knew it was useless arguing with her young friend. So she decided to change the topic of conversation.

"Have you seen Kitty yet?"

"She's back home?" Rogue asked, astonished. "I've been trying to get a hold of her ever since she began disappearing a few days ago."

"Yes, yes she is," Betsy said, "though she's quite scared at the moment."

_"Scared?"_ Rogue practically shouted. "Betsy, what's wrong? What's happened to her?"

"I shouldn't really say this," Betsy murmured, looking away. "I'm not supposed to know."

"But..."

"It's okay, Rogue," Kitty whispered, as she phased through the door, holding on to Jean and Ororo. "I'm ready to tell you all now."

Jean and Ororo looked concerned, while Betsy gave Kitty an apologetic smile.

"Kit?" Rogue asked worriedly. "Kit, what's wrong?"

"You know how I planned on using Lance to get Pete jealous?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, guess the joke's on me," Kitty gave everyone a sad smile.

"Kitty?" Jean inquired kindly.

"I...I think I'm still in love with Lance," and then she burst out crying.

"Oh my child," Ororo said soothingly, and took Kitty in her arms. Rogue, though, knew her friend very well.

"That's not all, is it? Kit, what aren't you telling me?"

Kitty moved away from Ororo's arms and stood away from everyone.

"Lance figured it out. He realized that I was only using him. I didn't know how to prove it to him that I made a mistake, that the truth was it was _him_ I really loved."

"And?" Rogue asked cautiously. She didn't like where this was going.

"So...so, we decided to start and have our own little family."  
_"You are pregnant?"_

Jean and Ororo asked simultaneously, shocked.

"And married, too," Kitty finished.

R~G

"Hi, Remy."

"Hey, there _petite_," Gambit asked, scooping up a squirming Sarah in his arms.

"Put me down!" Marrow wiggled. "I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm ten years old."

Gambit laughed.

"To me, you'll always be my _petite fille_."

However, he complied with her wishes and put her down on the ground. The two were in the back yard of the mansion.

"So, what's up with you? Why do you look so sad, Remy?"

"You remember, whenever we secretly visited New Orleans, how _moi_ _Tante_ Mattie always said I should find a nice girl and settle down? Well, I think I found my girl."

"Is it Miss Rogue?"

Gambit looked dumbfounded as he looked at Sarah. He knew he was being a bit foolish confessing to Sarah about his love life, but he really needed to talk to someone, and there was no one he was close with at the moment.

Still, for little Sarah to guess correctly who he was in love with...

Marrow giggled.

"You didn't think I would know? Please, everyone knows."

"How?"

"The Cuckoos. There are five of them, and together, their power is really strong. They were able to read your mind, and so, all the Young Mutants know."

_"Merde!"_

_Couldn't he keep any secrets anymore?_ Gambit thought to himself.

"Laura said Miss Rogue's her favorite, and she will cut you into little pieces if you ever hurt her. The Cuckoos are on her side, too. Said no one has ever been as nice to them as Miss Rogue. Tildie's also in agreement, and trust me, you don't want to get on her bad side. Her nightmarish monsters are scary."

Gambit simply stared at her. Marrow laughed.

"Don't worry, I said_ I'm_ on your side." And then the girl promptly burst out laughing.

"Why, thank you, Sarah," Gambit said dryly.

"What? I wasn't lying, but you don't need to worry about anything. The Cuckoos said Miss Rogue loves you, too, but she doesn't know it yet."

Gambit smiled in spite of himself.

_Now, that gave him hope. Maybe, just maybe, John's advice would come in handy, and Rogue would like his latest gift._

R~G

It was a letter.

A letter written in plain, white writing pads with a black gel pen. The calligraphy was poor, there were ink smudges here and there, but it was _real_.

It told her everything, everything that he considered important, everything that made him laugh, cry, angry...it was his soul bared open for her in words.

A tear drop or two fell from her eyes as she read it, adding to the ink blotches already present in the pristine white sheets. She didn't care, though. The words were real, and despite the future being an unknown entity, she wanted to give him a chance...give love a chance once more.

"Hey," Gambit said as he came up behind her. "You wanted to talk?"

Rogue was standing in her balcony, the room behind her empty. Kitty had left tearfully to spend the night at the brotherhood mansion. She was gone before Jean or Ro had a chance to recover from their shock.

With Rogue on her own tonight, she had left the door open for Gambit. She sent him a message earlier with her mobile to let him know. Now, here they stood, alone under the starry night.

The whole mansion was shrouded in darkness, the occupants all long asleep. It was way past midnight, and Rogue felt incredibly lonely.

She didn't know what to do anymore. It was just like after her powers had manifested, or after the incidents on asteroid M, or the Sentinels, or Apocalypse. All she knew was that change was coming, but this time, it was more personal.

Emma's sudden appearance in their lives, the birth of Scott's three children, Jean's acceptance of Scott's infidelity, Logan moving on from Jean to Ro, the Professor's fear and love for Lilandra, Alex and John moving away permanently, and then Kurt and now Kitty. Betsy and Warren were getting married too, and even Evan had formed a real relationship with Amanda.

Hank and Forge aside, all of them had one thing in common – they all found someone to love and cherish for the rest of their lives. Suddenly, Rogue felt very insecure, and lonely.

Gambit felt it.

He didn't know how or why, but he knew what Rogue was feeling, and he gently wrapped his arms around her. She didn't move away, or protest. Instead, she rested her head on his chest, and let the tears fall.

R~G

"We...we shouldn't do this," the first blond said. "They are awake now. It's highly risky."

"But you can take care of it," replied the second woman.

"I'm not that powerful!"

"It was all your _idea_ to begin with," replied the second blond, her voice sardonic. "Or have you forgotten?"

"I...no, I've not, but I was only doing it to get back at her. It...it was harmless. It was just a dream then."

"And now it will be for real. What's the big deal? They want each other anyways. _I know it, even if you don't._"

"If that's the truth, then why not let them do it when they want it?" The first woman was getting impatient, and also a little scared. They were meeting at a place where the second woman was obviously in a more powerful form.

"For fun?" shrugged the second blond.

"No, no I'll not do it. _This is wrong_."

A hand suddenly shot out, and choked the first woman.

"Here, I can kill you. No one will hear your pleas or screams. All they will find is a dead body."

"The...they will...find out...eventually," gasped the first woman, as the hand around her neck tightened. The blue-eyes of her aggressor gleamed devilishly.

"How would you like it if I bestowed the same fate on a bunch of toddlers that are being groomed to be the next generation of your X-Men?"

The first blond widened her eyes in horror.

R~G

The two stared at each other as if in a trance. One moment they were in each other's arms, the next Gambit and Rogue acted as if they were on autopilot.

They made their way to her room and Gambit locked the doors. He turned around to find Rogue waiting patiently for him. He lunged at her.

They fell together on her bed, and he began to kiss her roughly as his hands tore her clothes way. Her fingers were not idle either.

She removed his black t-shirt just as he started nipping and biting her throat. With steady fingers, Rogue removed his belt, and started undoing the buttons on his dark jeans. Gambit had reached her breasts by now, and suckled at them hungrily. Rogue moaned.

Impatient, Gambit jerked Rogue's hands away, and took off his pants and boxers himself. Then he entered her in one, long thrust. Rogue cried out, not in pain, though, but in ecstasy.

Gambit began to move in and out of her, hard and fast, while the two shared feverish kisses with one another. Their mouths, lips, tongues were fused with each other's, as were their hands and legs.

The two simply couldn't get enough of each other.

Their breathing increased, as did their rhythm. Beads of perspiration began to form on their naked skins.

It could have been a mere few seconds or even a few minutes. The two didn't care. All they cared about was the insatiable hunger between their bodies, and how to satisfy it.

As they reached near their release, their passion became animalistic in nature, and the two cried out each other's names in unison when they began spiraling downwards in a free fall.

R~G

Come the next morning, all Gambit and Rogue remembered were being in each other's arms in the balcony and then each sleeping on their own beds in separate rooms.

**A/N: I guess you all can guess who the two blonds are ;)? Also, I just couldn't pair up Kitty with Piotr. She and Lance looked far too cute in X-Men: Evolution. Yes, the next chapter will be the last. I'm sorry about it, but I'm very discouraged at the moment :(. I didn't want to leave you guys hanging in the middle, so I'm quickly patching this up.**


	20. And so it ends

**A/N: Instead of naming you all individually, I want to take this opportunity to thank ALL OF YOU who took the time out to read, review, PM (yes, even the harsh ones), put the story on alert and favorites etc. This was my first X-Men fanfic, and I really appreciated the love and support you all have shown me.**

**I had wanted to elaborate on the whole Gambit-wooing-Rogue thing, but as I said before, I'm ending the story prematurely.**

**Hence, yes, this is the last chapter.**

**I hope you all enjoy it, and do read the A/N at the end, as I want some input from you all.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the different worlds of X-Men.**

"I'm _pregnant_?"

Rogue's eyes were wide with disbelief as Hank squirmed under her scrutiny. All the X-Men were present at the med lab, and the Professor was glad that, at least, the New and Young Mutants were not there to witness what would without doubt end up being the biggest mystery in the history of their lives.

"You've got to be _kidding_ me!" Logan growled. "Now Stripes' pregnant, _too_? Who's next? Betsy? Lorna?"

"But...but..." Rogue stammered.

"Who's the father?" asked Scott, a question that was on everyone's mind.

"Well...I knew Rogue wasn't seeing anyone, but the Young Mutants were whispering about how Mr LeBeau was her secret admirer..."

"And?" Ororo asked, throwing a sideways glance at Gambit.

Hank sighed. "I have all of your DNA samples, and...yes, the result gave a positive response when checked against Mr LeBeau's here."

_"What?"_

Rogue and Gambit asked in unison, and everyone stared at the two, hence missing the wince on Emma's face.

"But we never even slept together!"

_"What?"_

This time, it was the rest, other than the newly pregnant couple, who voiced the question.

Emma knew it was time to tell the truth.

R~G

"What do you mean by _we_?" Kurt asked, scowling at Emma. Although not blood-related, he knew his sister well, and Rogue was on the brink of strangling the blond telepath.

"Well...I-I was not the only one holding a grudge against Rogue," Emma answered in a small voice, her eyes downcast.

"Who _else_ is shallow enough to make me have lurid dreams just so to get back at me?" Rogue asked scathingly.

"I wasn't making you _have_ those dreams, I was only projecting Gambit's thoughts...with a few modifications."

"Like adding fangs?" Scott asked, and suddenly he was very enraged.

Emma looked away. "Yes."

"Shit!" Scott banged his fist hard on the table, making everyone jump. Momentarily everyone forgot about Rogue and Gambit, and marveled at the fact that for the first time in his life, Scott had lost control of his anger.

"All those times, I thought I was having weird sexual dreams about you, when the truth was you were projecting _your_ peculiar fantasies on me."

"I..."

"I never even suspected that you might be behind them because of all that vampire references. I was actually ashamed of myself that I should even be thinking about other women, even unconsciously, when Jean and the Professor were missing, and I had a baby boy to take care of."

"Even though I was responsible for them going missing, I didn't know where Jean was. I truly cared about you, Scott, I really did. That's why I did it, to make you see me as a potential lover, because you wouldn't even think of other woman otherwise."

"And I suppose Rogue ended up pregnant the same way _you_ did," Scott murmured dangerously. "You controlled them and made them have sex, before wiping their minds clear, right? Just like you controlled me. I wasn't a willing participant, was I, despite what you made me believe?"

"I didn't think I was going to end up pregnant, just like I didn't realize Rogue would either. They are both coincidences, believe me."

"You bitch!" screamed Jean. "I always supported you, believing Megan was my punishment for crushing on Logan when I was already in love with and married to Scott. I even let you spend time with Nate and Rachel because I thought you were being a big-hearted person, giving away Megan to me. Betsy, Kitty, and especially Rogue always warned me about you, but I didn't believe them. I thought you changed."

"I did!" cried Emma, tears flowing freely from her eyes now.

"Really?" sneered Betsy. "Then how do you explain Rogue's pregnancy now?"

"Oh, please, Bets," Kitty muttered, "Don't tell me you believe that slut?"

"I should kill you." Rogue tried to bodily flung herself at the blond, but Evan held her back.

"And I'd happily assist you, _ch__ère_," Gambit said, his eyes glowing a dangerous red.

"Stop it! All of you."

Ororo was the picture of calmness as she glared at everyone to shut up, before turning her attention to Emma.

"Prove it. This is your only chance, and trust me, if you don't give a damn good explanation of why you did this to Rogue, _I'd_ personally ensure you don't live another day."

Emma nodded slowly.

"At fist...at first it was all for a little bit of fun and revenge on Rogue. She tripped me and nearly broke my nose, and I was mad at her."

"And you got Rogue _pregnant_ because of that?" growled Logan. "Why you..."

"Carol."

Everyone went still at the name Emma blurted out.

"C-Carol?" Rogue asked, already experiencing a sinking feeling in her heart.

"She-she was the one who in the end pushed me to do this to Rogue."

"Wha..." Warren was totally confused. "But how?"

"I was projecting Gambit's fantasies on Rogue when she slept, and Carol could feel them too. Her psyche is the most prominent one in Rogue's head, and when Carol realized what I was doing, she thought it was great because she still holds a grudge against Rogue for absorbing her permanently."

"So you and Carol decided to mess with Rogue's mind? Why am I not surprised?" Scott asked sarcastically.

"Scott, please," said the Professor, and then turned towards Emma. "You said Carol's psyche persuaded you. How?"

"She...she threatened to harm Scott and Jean's children by taking over Rogue's mind."

R~G

"I've made my decision," Emma said, as she looked around the conference room. "I know you took the last week to decided whether I should be allowed to stay with the X-Men or not, and I realized I didn't want to come between you. I've caused enough trouble as it is. So I'll make things easier for you all, and just leave."

"I'm sure we are not immature enough to hold a grudge. Yes, what you did was despicable, but you also were being blackmailed. From personal experience, I know how dangerous Carol Danvers can be. Jean and I spent the better part of last week trying to build a wall in Rogue's mind to keep her away. Giving her free reign, like with the other psyches, was going to jeopardize Rogue's life."

The Professor, seated at the head of the table, looked around at everyone then.

"So, we vote. As you were the first X-Men and the leader of the group, let's start with you Scott. Should Emma Frost be allowed to stay?"

"No."

"Jean?"

"No."

Emma wanted to get up and run away from the room. Everyone was going to reply in the negative anyways, so she didn't know what the point was of this exercise.

"Warren?"

"Yes." Angel avoided looking at his team mates.

"Hank?"

"Yes."

"Ororo."

"Yes."

A few gasped at that with indignation, but Storm stood firm by her decision. When Emma gave her a small, grateful smile though, she didn't return it.

"Logan?"

The Wolverine sighed. Rogue would most likely hate him for this, but he did what he thought was right.

"Yes."

"Logan?" Kitty and Betsy cried out, but Logan remained stoic.

"Betsy?"

"No."

"Piotr?"

"Yes."

"Alex?"

"No

"Forge?"

"Yes."

"Kitty?"

"Hell, no!"

"Kurt?"

"Uh...ye-yes," Nightcrawler said, looking down immediately.

"Evan?"

"No."

"Gambit?"

"No way, _Professeur_."

"Hmm, looks like you will have to give the deciding vote, Rogue, since the tally appears to be equal on both sides."

Rogue looked down and gently placed her hands on her stomach. Nobody saw it as the table was blocking the view.

Her stomach was flat now, but it would not remain so in the coming months. She and Gambit liked each other, she knew, though they were probably not yet in love. Even then, despite the future being an unknown entity, Rogue knew she would have the baby and keep it.

A baby. A little boy or a girl, like Nate or Rachel...both of whom were alive because of Emma...both of whom could have died in the hands of Carols Danvers...in the hands of herself.

Rogue looked the Professor square in the eye.

"Yes."

R~G

"Olivier."

"Remy LeBeau II."

"No, Olivier Howlett."

"No way. It'll be our son, not the Wolverine's."

"Fine. Olivier Howlett LeBeau."

Gambit rolled his eyes.

"I like Remy LeBeau II."

"I like that, too," Warren interjected, deciding to share his two cents. Gambit grinned at the other man, and did a high five.

"You would, considering _you_ have a number at the end of your name as well."

Warren flushed, as Betsy giggled by his side.

"Olivier Howlett LeBeau, Remy."

"No, _ch__ére_," Gambit pouted. "My son should be named after _moi_."

"Vain much," Kurt said, scowling. "I'm with my sister. Olivier Howlett. One of Remy LeBeau in this mansion is enough."

"Well, my _dear_ soon-to-be-brother-in-law," Gambit said with a smirk, "your sister said Olivier Howlett _LeBeau_, so there will be more than one LeBeau anyways."

"Now, look here, Remy..." Rogue was getting frustrated.

"I'm looking, _ch__ére_," Gambit said, giving his heavily pregnant girlfriend a thorough once over, his eyes lingering on her now-even-bigger breasts. Kurt looked away from Gambit in disgust and got up, to go and visit his own pregnant wife.

Tabitha sighed dreamily. "I wish John would look at me that way, too."

Scott blanched. "You're not pregnant as well, are you?"

Jean slapped his arm. "Stop it, Scott."

"What? I'm just asking to make sure. Ever since Wanda got pregnant, everyone decided to have a baby. I can't _believe _Alex knocked up Lorna. Now, I've two younger brothers becoming fathers within the next six months."

Gambit laughed out loud.

"Don't know what you are so upset about, _mon fr__ère_. _You_ are not the one giving birth," he finished with a wink.

"No, I am," Kitty muttered. "So would you all stop making noises and let me rest?"

"The rec room is hardly the place for napping, Katherine Pryde."

Had it been Emma instead of Hank, Kitty was sure she would have throttled the mutant in question.

"Kurt, are you ready to go over the Brotherhood mansion yet?"

"Yes, I am, but I don't know why you spend so much time there. Wanda and I are married, but you and Lance are _not_." Although he didn't say it, but Kurt shot an accusing glare at Gambit too, as if blaming him for his sister's insistent to marry _after_ the baby was born.

Gambit held up his hands in surrender.

"Don't look at me like that, _mon ami_. The emerald and diamond ring in your sister's left hand is proof that I asked her to marry me. _She_ is the one who keeps postponing it."

Betsy gave a very un-ladylike snort.

"Right, like I'd let Rogue and Kitty get married when they are sporting such huge bulges. No designer gowns would fit them, and do you have any idea how they would look in the wedding pictures?"

"Wanda looked just fine," Kurt answered, and Evan barked out a laugh at that, before trying to hide it behind fake coughing.

"Oh, this conversation is getting nowhere," Kurt said, exasperated. "Let's go, Kitty."

As the two left, Kurt huffing and panting as he carried Kitty away, Rogue turned to her stubborn boyfriend.

"Why can't you just agree with me? You are always looking for ways to irritate me. Annoying Kurt, challenging Logan...do you see me pestering Scott all the time?"

"Hey..." Scott started, but Jean pulled him away from the room, citing an urgent need to go shopping for stuffed animals.

Ororo wondered if Jean was pregnant again, and she wasn't the only one.

Logan looked around the room, and sighed.

Wanda, Kitty, Rogue, Betsy, Lorna...yeah, he had been right when he had predicted the last two names. He wondered who would be next. Tabitha? Evan's girlfriend Amanda? Jubilee? It had better not be anyone from the Young Mutants.

As Hank and the Professor left, Logan took a seat next to Ororo and observed the other two couples. Warren and Betsy were huddled together in another sofa, him running his hands gently over her slightly rounded stomach.

Gambit and Rogue were still fighting, as usual, though Logan suspected the Cajun did it deliberately as he seemed to like a riled up Rogue. It usually led the two ending up doing heavy bedroom _workout_, if Logan's sense of smell was correct.

"You know something, Ro?

"What, sweetheart?" Ororo said slyly, knowing how much the Wolverine hated these terms of endearment. Logan grimaced.

"I wish I could go back in time and teach these children sex ed myself."

Ororo laughed, and Logan joined her in it reluctantly.

Neither saw a curious face regarding them from behind.

**A/N: Well, love, that's it. THE END. How was it? Did you guys like it? I was surprised when no one was able to figure out who the second blond was. Anyways, as you read, I finished it in a sort of cliffie. I am hoping to write a sequel where Logan's wish comes true. What do you guys think? Would you like to read it? I don't plan to write a very long story, but I don't want any rude PMs/reviews either. If you don't like it, then don't read it. Constructive criticisms are welcome, but I don't like flames. However, if most of you are not interested, then I won't write it. Just let me know what you all think.**


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